APAS 2000 - Java Software Installation

See also: Interactive Demos - Test Your Installation - (Sun J3D Demos)

To run these interactive demos you'll need to have a Java Runtime Environment (1.3 or later) and the Java 3D Optional Package installed. We only tested these demos on Microsoft OS (Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000). Installation is smooth if you follow the instructions. 

Please read all notes carefully and you should be up and running in a few minutes. You can test your installation here.

• Installation is easiest and performance is best when the demos are run on a (hardware-accelerated) OpenGL graphics card. We like cards based on nVidia products. But any OpenGL card should do. Good cards can be bought for under $100.
• Notebook computers generally don't have OpenGL, but may have DirectX acceleration. If you feel adventurous, please read special instructions for DirectX installation in step 2.

Step 1: Install the Java™ Runtime Environment (JRE)

Instructions:

Download JRE 1.3 and install it - We recommend selecting all the default options during the installation process.

Important notes:

• You have a choice when downloading the JRE (version 1.3): we recommend downloading and installing the internationalized version if you are running a non-US Operating System.

• Pay special attention to the installation path; this path will be used in step 2. It should say "1.3" at the end of the path.

If you have already installed this software (or a newer version) previously, you may safely skip step 1. The Java™ 2 Runtime Environment is the minimum standard Java computing environment for running applications written in the Java programming language. Additional information and future updates for the JRE will be available here.

Step 2: Install the Java™ 3D Optional Package

Instructions:

Download J3D 1.2 (java3d-1_2-win-opengl-rt.exe - 2.13 MB) and install it - we recommend selecting all the default options during the installation process, except the installation path (see below). 

Important notes:

• Make sure to install the Java 3D Optional Package in the same directory as the JRE in step 1 (this usually means changing \1.2 to \1.3 at the end of the suggested installation path). If J3D is not installed in the exact same installation directory as step 1 it won't work.

• We only tested Java 3D on Windows (98, NT, 2000). But there are also versions available for Linux and other OS'es here if you like trying it. We didn't test these versions and can't support you if it doesn't work.

For advanced users only:

If you are running Windows 98 or Windows 2000 (but NOT Windows NT), you may be able to get better performance on your hardware in some cases by trying a different Java 3D version (DirectX) instead of the OpenGL version. This J3D (DirectX) can be downloaded here. 

• If your hardware does not support OpenGL hardware acceleration it will default back to software rendering. Although software rendering works just fine, you may get much better performance if you use the DirectX version: this may be especially be the case for recent laptops.

• Windows 98: you may have to upgrade to DirectX 7.0. This is a standard Microsoft OS upgrade and can be downloaded through the standard Windows Update (Start - Windows Update). If you run a file called dxdiag.exe it should report version and status of DirectX.

• Windows 2000: no upgrades necessary.

• Windows NT: won't run DirectX.

If you have already installed this software (or a newer version) previously, you may safely skip step 2. Additional information and future updates for Java 3D will be available here.

Step 3: Setup the Java plugin

Instructions:

Select the new JRE in the Java Plug-in setup in the control panel. Choose "Start, Settings, Control Panel, Java Plug-in", and choose JRE 1.3 in "Java Run Time Environment".

After all this you may proceed to the interactive demos

This page was last modified on 12.11.2002 (C) Ariel Dynamics Inc.