Hi Betrand, On 12/11/06, bertrand greslier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I would like to give me, java community and osg community the possibility to use a 100% java implementation of the OpenSceneGraph api. Today the JavaOSG is not 100% java, it is just a huge jni wrapper. Also, OpenSceneGraph is completly cross-plateform, but with this "new" solution it could be completly plateform independant and the OpenSceneGraph project could be extended to the java community (today the bigger developper community). It could be use by java developpers who have never learn or understand C++ or simply reject this language for various reasons. The languages are very near, I have thought to just parse all C++ code and generate equivalent java classes and code... What do you think about this ?
I certainly understand the motivation towards being 100% native in a given language, and yes Java is certainly a more popular language than C++ in the wider computing community. In games and simulators where the OSG is most at home C++ and scripting languages are likely to be bigger than Java and will continue to be more important as time goes on. Good Java support does open a few new markets though which is where its value would lie. On the technical front, I would have thought converting OSG C++ code to a native OSG Java version while possibly doable would be very difficult to undertake and maintain, at least with the OSG in its present form with its advanced use of C++. A more productive route would probably be to create a standardised scene graph design that is implemented on different languages. This would require multiple independent implementations though, and work keeping the various implementations in sync. Reuse of common components would be desirable, i.e a loader written in C++ should be usable to plugin to a Java version of the scene graph, or a Java plugin working with a core C++ version. The way one could tackle this would be to define the scene graph via the data components of the scene graph rather than as class objects. These data components would be serialized in and out in a standard way that would facility easy conversion through different language interfaces. The scene graph spec would based around a formal protocol that defines all objects, including how one handles new objects not defined in the local language. This is obviously a major departure from how develop the OSG right now. I touched on this topic in my Siggraph 2006 talk presented by Mike Weiblen in our Bird of Feather sessions. Have a look on the OSG website documentation page for links to this and other presentations. Robert. _______________________________________________ osg-users mailing list [email protected] http://openscenegraph.net/mailman/listinfo/osg-users http://www.openscenegraph.org/
