Principles of Computer Game
Design and Implementation
Lecture 5
We already knew
• Introduction to this module
• History of video
• High-level information of a game
• Designing information for a game
• Execution of a game (Game loop)
2
jMonkeyEngine
Architecture and Mathematical
Concepts
jMonkeyEngine
• A high performance scene graph based graphics API
• Completely open source (BSD License)
• Written in pure Java
jMonkeyEngine graphics
4
jMonkeEngine History
• Started in 2003 by Mark Powell inspired by
a C++ book “3D Game Engine Design”
• 2008 jMonkeyEngive v. 2.0
• 2009 Development stalled. Project forked.
jMonkeEngine v. 3.0 Ardor 3D
• Community-driven project • Commercial development
• New people joint • Neater but less features
• Integration with free tools
5
Version Differences
• jME v2.0
– Stable
– Uses OpenGL 1. Runs on any hardware
• jMe v2.1
– Final release in the 2.x branch
• jME v3.0
– Uses OpenGL 2. Runs well on modern hardware
– Shader based
– Physics engine integrated
– jMonkeyPlatform
– Supports Android devices
6
jME Documentation
• Official site:
http://www.jmonkeyengine.org
7
jME Architecture
the picture is largely out-dated,
but it still conveys the idea
8
Where Will It Run?
• jME is 100% Java.
• It depends on a JNI
platform.
– LWJGL is currently the only
supported JNI platform.
– LWJGL runs on Linux, OSX,
and Win32.
• Implemented over
OpenGL
9
Image Synthesis
Modeling Viewing Rendering
Separation of Scene Specification, Viewing and
Rendering
– Scene is modelled independent of any view
– Views are unconstrained
– There are many possible rendering methods given a
scene and a view
10
Model to Screen
View Window
(showing pixels)
11
Renderer
• Transforms geometry
from world space to
screen space
• Eliminates “hidden”
objects
• Draws the transformed
scene
More to follow
12
Scene Graph
• A hierarchical data
structure used to group
data
– Simplifies management
– Groups objects into the
same spatial region
– Facilitates
transformations &
rotations of compound
objects
13
Geometry
• Geometry
– Geometric data for
rendering objects
• GUI
– Widgets
• Sound
– Similar to renderer
– 3D effects
14
Setting Up jME 3.0
• Download the appropriate version of the
jMonkeyEngine SDK
– http://jmonkeyengine.org/downloads/
• Run the installer
(already available in the labs)
• File -> New Project -> BasicGame
15
Simplest jME Program
package mygame;
import com.jme3.app.SimpleApplication;
public class Main extends SimpleApplication {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Main app = new Main();
app.start();
}
public void simpleInitApp() {
}
}
16
A Default Blue Box
package mygame;
import com.jme3.app.SimpleApplication;
import com.jme3.material.Material;
import com.jme3.math.ColorRGBA;
import com.jme3.scene.Geometry;
import com.jme3.scene.shape.Box;
public void simpleInitApp() {
Box b = new Box(1, 1, 1);
Geometry geom = new Geometry("Box", b);
Material mat = new Material(assetManager, "Common/MatDefs/Misc/Unshaded.j3md");
mat.setColor("Color", ColorRGBA.Blue);
geom.setMaterial(mat);
rootNode.attachChild(geom);
}
public class Main extends SimpleApplication {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Main app = new Main();
app.start();
}
}
17
Let’s Run It
Demo
18
Game Loop Start
package mygame; Initialise
import com.jme3.app.SimpleApplication;
import com.jme3.material.Material;
import com.jme3.math.ColorRGBA;
import com.jme3.scene.Geometry;
import com.jme3.scene.shape.Box;
Update Game
public void simpleInitApp() {
Box b = new Box(1, 1, 1);
Geometry geom = new Geometry("Box", b);
Material mat = new Material(assetManager,
"Common/MatDefs/Misc/Unshaded.j3md"); Draw Scene
mat.setColor("Color", ColorRGBA.Blue);
geom.setMaterial(mat);
}
rootNode.attachChild(geom);
Are we
public class Main extends SimpleApplication {
done?
public static void main(String[] args) {
Main app = new Main();
app.start(); Cleanup
}
}
End
19
SimpleApplication Provides
• Options dialog (when you first run it)
– Can ask for it to be always on
• Input handler
• Standard camera
• A timer to compute the frame rate and
provide smooth movements
• rootNode
20
Scene Graph
• The scene graph represents the 3D world
• Leaf nodes (Geometry) represent data
• Internal nodes (Nodes) group and manage data
21
Two Geometries
public void simpleInitApp() {
Material mat = new Material(assetManager,
"Common/MatDefs/Misc/Unshaded.j3md");
mat.setColor("Color", ColorRGBA.Blue);
Box b = new Box(1, 1, 1);
Geometry geom = new Geometry("Box", b);
geom.setMaterial(mat);
Sphere s = new Sphere(60, 60, 1.5f);
Geometry sgeom = new Geometry("Sphere", s);
sgeom.setMaterial(mat);
rootNode.attachChild(geom);
rootNode.attachChild(sgeom);
}
22
Graphical Model
• Items arranged spatially (grouped together)
– Placing something (e.g. a light) in a branch affects
all branch elements
• A node is a reference point to its children
– Simplifies rendering
– Simplifies manipulation
• Simplifies importing models
23
Rendering Scene Graph
• Every node (Nodes and Geometry) defines
– Transform(ation)s
• orientation, location and scale
– BoundingVolume
• An area containing all sub-nodes
– Render state
• Defines how geometry is displayed
24
Meaningful Game Loop Start
… Initialise
protected Geometry g;
…
public void simpleUpdate(float tpf) { Update Game
geom.move (0.001f, 0, 0));
}
Draw Scene
Are we
done?
Cleanup
Changes the scene graph End
25
Let’s Run It
Demo
26
Meshes and Geometries
A collection of polygons Everything that is rendered
that can be drawn
Box mesh = new Box(1, 1, 1);
Geometry geom = new Geometry("Box", mesh);
But how is it rendered
27
Meshes, Geometries and Materials
• All Geometries must have Materials that
defines colour or texture.
• Each Material is based on a Material
Definition file (.j3md)
– Lighting.j3md, Unshaded.j3md
All Materials (except "Unshaded" ones) are invisible
without a light source.
28
Example
public void simpleInitApp() {
Box b = new Box(1, 1, 1);
geom = new Geometry("Box", b);
rootNode.attachChild(geom);
Material mat = new Material(assetManager,
"Common/MatDefs/Light/Lighting.j3md");
geom.setMaterial(mat);
DirectionalLight sun = new
DirectionalLight();
sun.setDirection(new Vector3f(1, 0, -2));
sun.setColor(ColorRGBA.White);
rootNode.addLight(sun);
}
29
3D Models and Games
• While it is possible to specify the geometry
based on basic shapes (we do it), most games
import scene graphs from a 3D modelling tool
– Maya
– 3D Max
– Blender
–…
30
Summary
• jMonkeyEngine is a simple yet powerful Java
game engine
• Basic shapes can be combined in a scene
graph to create a 3D model
• We need some Maths to manipulate entities
31
