Book Image

jMonkeyEngine 3.0 : Beginner's Guide

Book Image

jMonkeyEngine 3.0 : Beginner's Guide

Overview of this book

jMonkeyEngine 3.0 is a powerful set of free Java libraries that allows you to unlock your imagination, create 3D games and stunning graphics. Using jMonkeyEngine's library of time-tested methods, this book will allow you to unlock its potential and make the creation of beautiful interactive 3D environments a breeze."jMonkeyEngine 3.0 Beginner's Guide" teaches aspiring game developers how to build modern 3D games with Java. This primer on 3D programming is packed with best practices, tips and tricks and loads of example code. Progressing from elementary concepts to advanced effects, budding game developers will have their first game up and running by the end of this book.From basic concepts and project creation to building a complex 3D Game, you will learn to layout 3D scenes, make them interactive and add various multi-media effects.You will find answers to common questions including best practices and approaches, how game characters can act and interact, how to simulate solid walls and physical forces, how to take it online to play over a network and much more.From Zero to Hero, start your journey to make your game idea a reality.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
jMonkeyEngine 3.0 Beginner's Guide
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Not even the sky is the limit


In our first few demos, the background of the scene was always plainly colored—black or blue. Not very realistic, but acceptable if the indoor player only catches a glimpse of something blue through the blinds anyway. Now that the game scene is no longer set underground or indoors, you face the question of how to design a natural background.

The horizon is so far away—it might as well be a flat backdrop on a theatre stage. In fact, the sky in video games is just that: a flat, pre-rendered image. You can find free sky images online, but typically, you design custom skies that fit your game's atmosphere.

Note

Don't create a large 3D model filled with skyscrapers and mountains as background. A huge model may look pretty; rendering it will, however, slow down your game at runtime. It's also a waste of your artist's time, especially if the player will never see these models close up.

Scenery generators (such as Bryce or Terragen) are graphic tools that specialize in...