jMonkeyEngine 3 Beta Released
3D game engine with Android deployment, improved SDK, Blender importer, and more!
The jMonkeyEngine community is very happy to announce the latest release, jMonkeyEngine3 Beta!
What is jMonkeyEngine?
jMonkeyEngine.org is an open-source project released under the new BSD license. The goal of the jMonkeyEngine library is to provide a modern 3D game engine for Java developers. The framework is shader-based and supports OpenGL 2 through 4. jMonkeyEngine is written purely in Java and uses LWJGL as its default renderer.
Click the image to watch a video demo!
What is the jMonkeyEngine SDK?
Combined with the jMonkeyEngine SDK (software development kit), the jMonkeyEngine library becomes a high-level game development environment. The jMonkeyEngine SDK is an IDE (integrated development environment) based on the NetBeans Platform 7. Thanks to its integrated visual editors, wizards, importers, and various plugins, the SDK delivers unparalleled ease of development and deployment for your games -- and we plan to expand these advantages in the future. Our goal is to let you focus on developing games, while the SDK handles the build process and target platform issues.
Alongside the default NetBeans update centers, the SDK includes its own plugin repository where you can choose between stable point releases or nightly updates. We recommend using the jMonkeyEngine SDK as development and converter tool, however you are free to use any IDE (and even a text editor and the command line) for coding. All you need is the jMonkeyEngine JARs on your project's classpath.
What's New?
See some of the many changes made to both the core engine and SDK.
New jMonkeyEngine Core Features
- Android 2.2+ support for mobile game deployment
- Blender model importer (.blend to .j3o)
- "Spotlight" cone of light
- Infinite grid terrain
- Kinematic rag doll physics for the animation of falling characters
- Underwater scenes with caustics, depth-of-field blur, and light scattering
- Steep parallax mapping for detailed textures
- Improved .j3m material handling in the SDK
- OpenGL1 lighting
- Improved client-server networking
- Native Bullet physics simulation
- Nifty GUI 1.3 integration for creating user interfaces
- JavaDoc improvements
- Linux canvas and lighting bugs are fixed
- Applet deployment on MacOSX and Linux is fixed and improved
New jMonkeyEngine SDK Features
- Android deployment option (additional to WebStart, Applet, or desktop application)
- Blender model importer (.blend to .j3o), Legacy jME2 model importer
- Properties editor and preview for post-processor filters
- Custom bitmap font creator
- User-friendly widgets for positioning objects in Scene Composer, Vehicle Editor, and Terrain Editor
- Improved terrain editing
- Improved material and particle effect editing
- Improved model importer
- Material editor, Nifty editor, etc., all work without the main OpenGL window being open
- Updated built-in help (press F1), and online tutorials and documentation
- WorldForge AssetPack with many free-to-use models
- Improved Eclipse support
Who Uses jMonkeyEngine 3?
While we are still implementing new features for the jMonkeyEngine SDK before the final release, it's time for you to familiarize yourself with the jMonkeyEngine API. The current release is a solid foundation for any type of 3D game on any platform and it's already being used by several commercial games and educational institutions.
- Tygron Serious Gaming -- Educational games and interactive simulations that teach concepts of urban development, port development, depopulation, industrial safety, or climate change.
- Ships With Cannons -- A turn-based game set in the Age of Discovery where you take command of a powerful fleet of proud sailing ships and conquer the seas with tactical skill and patience.
- Mythruna -- Multiplayer open-world building, object crafting, and sandbox elements with a touch of role playing.
- Hexyle -- A beautiful open-world, open-gaming universe where you explore, build, and play any genre of game.
- mTheory -- An action-filled third-person combat game with rag-doll animated ninjas and gangsters.
- Betaville -- A collaborative online platform for proposals on urban design developed by the Polytechnic Institute of NYU and Hochschule Bremen.
- Hostile Sector -- A squad-level, turn-based online combat game that combines tactical depth with RPG elements and soldier-level customization.
- 3079 -- A unique combination of Minecraft and Fallout 3.
Get jMonkeyEngine now!
As always, you can download the latest release for free from our downloads section.
Happy coding,
The jMonkeyEngine Team
Related Links
(Note: Opinions expressed in this article and its replies are the opinions of their respective authors and not those of DZone, Inc.)
