1) First of all,
make notice that the applet is written completely in Java 2 release.
Browsers by default (at this time) only support Java 1 release. Then, if
you want to run the applet you must install a plug-in for your browser
to support Java 2. As it is not an easy process to install the plug-in
and it depends on the platform, the steps to follow will be explained.
Windows 95/98/NT:
The Windows plug-in is packed within the JRE Windows
Production Release. It installs itself
generally into the "\Program Files\JavaSoft\JRE"
directory and registers itself with Netscape and Internet Explorer.
Look at the Java Plug-in home page at http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/jre/download-windows.html
You can download it from here if you prefer.
Once you have installed you would be able to run applets built with the Java 2 release. Then go to step 2 to install the Java3D extension.
Solaris:
The plug-in for Solaris is available at http://www.sun.com/solaris/netscape/.
Ask your system administrator to install it as well as the Java3D extension
in step 2.
2) Also, the applet makes use of an extension of java called Java3D, so you also must install it in order run the applet.
Java3D home page is located at http://www.javasoft.com/products/java-media/3D/index.html. There you can find all the information related and download it.
There are two different versions:
- For OpenGl: There are downloads
for Solaris Sparc and Windows. The need OpenGl libraries installed. (In
latest Windows versions it is installed by default).
- For DirectX: Only can be
used by Windows. To download it you must be registered as a member of the
JDC, but you can register free.
Windows 95/98/NT:
You can chose between the OpenGl
version or the DirectX one, as it was explained before. You must install
it in the same folder where the plug-in was installed.
Solaris:
The actual release of Java3D for solaris, comes as an executable file that install all necessary things. But it comes to install it with the JRE.
The easy way to have it is copying the following files into the folder
$instal_folder/j2pi/lib/ext, where $instal_folder is the path where
you installed the plug-in:
- j3daudio.jar
- j3dcore.jar
- j3dutils.jar
- vecmath.jar
Then you have to set your CLASSPATH variable to have all of those file:
CLASSPATH=$instal_folder/j2pi/lib/ext/j3daudio.jar:$instal_folder/j2pi/lib/ext/j3dcore.jar: ....
And also the following libraries into the folder $instal_folder/j2pi/lib/sparc:
Here you have to add to your LD_LIBRARY_PATH variable the path $instal_folder/j2pi/lib/sparc
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$instal_folder/j2pi/lib/sparc
But it is a good idea to go to the web page to see all the requisites
for Java3D
3) The applet also make use of other java libraries to read VRML files to display 3D scenes. Then, you have to copy the file:
in the same folder as the others (and also add it to the CLASSPATH variable in the case of Solaris).