Wanted to put in a plug for Xith3D at xith.org and the Java Monkey Engine (JME). 

I agree with many of the warnings posted on this thread.  My advice is to learn to use a high level API and delve in to the innards if/when you have the time, where it makes sense to do so.  EVERYBODY wants their first project to be an RPG, make cool maps, etc.  It is this wish that usually indicates a newer game developer, not a bad thing but you may not realize the magnitude of what you want to do..  I could go on for pages on just how cool my never completed game was.

Anyways, the xith API is a Java3D like scenegraph, with a well defined HUD (for menus, inventory, conversations, etc.),  a neat class for support "first person" movements, collisions, avatar, etc within the scene.  Also has a well written intro doc.

Your big advantage with this API,  is the huge number of example programs, small java apps demoing a specific aspects of the API..  This allows you to identify some portion of your game you need to work on,.  find an example similar to what you need, and then extend you game.  I personally absolutely need to see periodic progress in my game dev, otherwise I get agitated.   The only way to develop a large game is in incremental steps,  since you most likely do not have time or the experience to write up a requirement spec and architecture doc.  Incremental improvements allow you to change directions as the design of your game changes over time.  A strong developer presence also helps.

While I am unfamiliar with the Java Monkey Engine (JME) they also seem to provide higher level abstraction with the ability to get into the innards where you need to, they also have a strong developer community.

All

   I have rounded up the cash to upgrade from my ATI 200m laptop to something better and am looking at the following please let me know if you have experience either good or bad with this setup.  I am doing 3D hobby game development

   
Inspiron 1720 Laptop

NVIDIA®  GeForceTM  Go 8600M GT with 256MB

This info from xith3d.org worked for me...using cal3d with blender

- To set a texture, use the UV view (you know that from the OBJ tutorial)
- Use the exporter from soya project :


http://svn.gna.org/viewcvs/soya/trunk/soya/blender2cal3d.py


It needs the following modifications : 1. Remove the # -*- indent-tabs-mode: t -*- line and the next empty line. The file MUST begin with #!BPY 2. Change "XML=1" to "XML=0"

 From the "Tao of Programming", great read...



Its in us all, because of this we look farther than we need to and walk paths we did not know existed.  It a core facet of being creative. 

A PLUS in school  a potential MAJOR MINUS when working for a living.  Try to explain why you failed to follow the simplest of requirements to a over stressed middle manager....yoicks!!

I have a zip of a Java3D implementation of shadows done by javacooldude.  I can post it as a starting place

How do I force a Button image to update, modify the displayed image do to something that was not a mouse interaction.

In my game somethings are enabled, by solving a puzzle for example.  I want to change a button label to reflect the enabled/disable status.  Just reseeting the default background does not seem to change the button image until a mouse interaction occurs

try the following...sorry it took so long life has been perplexing recently.
this zip contain an square obj, a mtl file and a white and black grid texture


http://home.mindspring.com/~hawkwind/xith-tree.zip

I would suggest a short term poll of users first to identify any killer problems prior to a release.  the failures of the OBJ loader is a killer problem.

Yup...loie names that identify behavior...+1

Hawk is very interested...I updated from SVN to get the Texture/HUD fixes and all of my OBJ Apperances are now null...YOICKS!!! 

What to do what to do???.   

I am using the current loader getting an OBJModel...textures are gone now. 

Marvin, get "Art of Illusion" a free java based 3D modeller and export something as OBJ...this is a quick way.  Simple to use modller with many tutourials.

Do labels really respect \n or not.  I have not been able to do this.  I see in the Images section of the example HUD you use a special case where the dimension is set to 1 or 0 which causes some kind of auto size formatting


        this.autoSize = ((size.x <= 0f) || (size.y <= 0f));
     

Uber...are you creating new BufferImage every time or extracting the ImageComponent2D and modifying the exisiting, assoicated BufferedImage??

nice...nice...nice....need to play more before commenting

Go out to aoi.sourceforge.net and grab Art of illusion, genera6e your own obj's

I have used http://www.planit3d.com/  free download combo box

I still don't have a repeatable example.  Some side notes though, my original problem used button created with 3 textures in the constructor.  Odlly enough adding an additional, non-alpha button seems to have changed the melting problem...at least in one example.

When watching the problem, button on top of a textured background for the frame, I see the button texture go away, then the button text, the textured background never goes away.  Just some info...

Rats works for me.....I think that using at least one button without alpha is keepong mine from disappearing....don't pursue this until I can send you a repeatable case.

I can try...not today...all that is needed is to move the scene around as in a first person shooter.  At some point as you move the buttons go away.   Not all buttons disappear at the same time.  I lose some going one way and other going the opposite way...YOICKS!!!

I was getting odd vecmath problems but fixed it by using the kh*jar  (dont remember exact spelling) vecmath that come with the distribution.

only helped a little.  Odd all in all, the underlying frame never disappears only the buttons added to the frame.   Where is the z index handled within the HUD code.

To anyone concerned....I have'nt beeen able to register in xith forum so I use this heee hee!!

In my HUD i have a frame with buttons., as I move around my world  these buttons slowly melt into the frame background and go away. ...frame at level 1 buttons at level 2....

thanx...

In some ways I just want to bypass these things, but then after another coffee I feel differently. ...

 use of these boards are not subject to popular opinion or subject to being voted up or down.  Its that simple...really, sit back ,consider things, and you all will realize that these boards are like any public setting...in public places I am constantly appalled by levels of perfume, inconsiderate cell phone usage, and old people in bikini's.  I also understand that I don't have the right to compell them to change.

There is a strong case for large active participation.  If you have read of the development model at google you see they support new ideas being posted and if they garner a large enough group of supporters they become active development project.s  This gathering of participating people is the nature of Googles success. 

These boards...all of them...have sparked many new directions in my and others personal gaming development,  in the last few years people have come and gone from many of these boards.  Some places have grown (JME) some places cycle (Xith)   The cycling groups really need the new blood who wander in and take an interest to survive.  New people are attracted to larger boards...its that simple.  I personally beleave it is the sum of all of the boards that attracts so many people who might not have gotten involved in a smaller board.

So after a large ramble I will continue to post here but I will also be considerate of the volume of posts.

If ya didn't like this post, don't blame me blame starbucks!!!!!

I want to override the default HUD title bar texture....without...getting into the whole theming thing

All

    I absolutely plan on continuing to post here whenever the mood strikes me.....public forum...open for public use

   I will use the Xith forums for more technical things, serious errors etc.

   I have seen user communities get diluted when there were too many options and would prefer that this not happen here.

    My general guideline is to post here most of the time and to use the xith for more detailled technical questions

cool

Yee Heee found it.!!!!

..at least for my situation.  The code is adding my lights multiple times to the array that throws the exception.  Since I don't have dev rights could someone mod the code to determine if a Light is already in the array before attempting to add it and up the Light count.


  at org.xith3d.render.shader.LightingShader.addLight(LightingShader.java:96)
   at org.xith3d.render.prerender.AtomsCollector.collectGroupAtoms(AtomsCollector.java:248)
   at org.xith3d.render.prerender.AtomsCollector.collectNodeAtoms(AtomsCollector.java:398)
   at org.xith3d.render.prerender.AtomsCollector.collectAtoms(AtomsCollector.java:447)

I looked briefly at the atom stuff and the test for lighting is checking for renderable not enabled.  This is the stuff that always confuses me...is a not-enabled light renderable???  Seems like no to me but there are two separate states that describe whether a light is visible or not....YUCK!!  I will try and set light as not-renederable when i set them not enabled.

Bitching:  Hawkwind....

Its back.....When using latest SVN pull as of last night

Exception in thread "Thread-10" java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException: 8
   at org.xith3d.render.shader.LightingShader.addLight(LightingShader.java:96)
   at org.xith3d.render.prerender.AtomsCollector.collectGroupAtoms(AtomsCollector.java:248)
   at org.xith3d.render.prerender.AtomsCollector.collectNodeAtoms(AtomsCollector.java:398)
   at org.xith3d.render.prerender.AtomsCollector.collectAtoms(AtomsCollector.java:447)
   at org.xith3d.render.ScenegraphModificationsManager.onChildRemovedFromGroup(ScenegraphModificationsManager.java:244)
   at org.xith3d.scenegraph.GroupNode.removeChild(GroupNode.java:260)
   at hawk.manager.LightManager.enableSet(LightManager.java:344)
   at hawk.jcd.Xith3DFrame.runx(Xith3DFrame.java:746)
   at hawk.jcd.Xith3DFrame.loopIteration(Xith3DFrame.java:616)
   at org.xith3d.render.loop.RenderLoop.run(RenderLoop.java:882)
   at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
   

Just to set my situation....I have N rooms, each with one or more lights,  potentialy giving 30-50 lights, less than 8 of which are in the scenegraph at any time..  Based on user interaction I add or remove  lights from the scenegraph.   In the stack trace above I am removing a light from the scene, from within the RenderLoop.  I cannot imagine why the light I am removing is being added...any thoughts appreciated

working...coooooll...thanx!!!