Chapter 3 ■ advanCed 3d Content rendering: 3d asset ConCepts and prinCiplesSummary
In this third chapter, we took a close look at some of the more important new media concepts relating to 2D
vector illustration and 3D vector rendering, texturing, and animation, which you will be using in your pro
Java game development work process so that you have the foundational knowledge for these things taken
care of in advance.
I started out covering the 2D vector graphics concepts that also hold true for 3D vector graphics,
including vertices (vertex or point), vectors (rays or straight lines), and splines (curved lines with control
handles). We also took a look at how to fill these 2D shapes with solid colors, color gradients, or tiled image
patterns.
Then we built on those concepts and took you into 3D vector graphics where we learned about
polygons, triangles, quads, faces, and edges, all of which combine with vertices to create 3D geometry. We
looked at how to make 3D geometric wireframes, also known as mesh objects, look solid using texture maps,
UVW mapping, and projection mapping, as well as how all of these come together in the form of a material
or shader.
Next we looked at 3D animation, which is significantly more complex than 2D animation or digital
video, as on the high end this includes character animation, procedural animation, and algorithmic special
effects that include physics simulation mathematics and things like controlling large amounts of particles
that yield powerful types of code-based animation systems such as flocking simulations, hair and fur
dynamics, crowd simulation, fluid dynamics, cloth dynamics, soft body, and rigid body dynamics. In the
next chapter, we are going to take a look at game design genres.
Finally, we looked at the JavaFX 9 APIs, which we will be using during the book to implement all of the
3D concepts and principles that we learned about during the chapter. We will be taking a look at these in
detail when we implement components of our Java 9 game.
In the next chapter, we’ll take a global look at game theory and concepts relating to creating games,
using Java 9 and new media assets to implement our gameplay design and game objectives.