Virtual interactive Computer Desktops

Ogli · September 24, 2015, 12:12pm

You know what would be cool? An interactive desktop screen! :chimpanzee_grin:

Had this idea for a while know, wanted these features (or a subset thereof):

Virtual .pdf reader - maybe use im4j to render pages as .png files, then read the .pdf ingame on your virtual desk in your spaceship / medieval castle, maybe via Oculus or just normal notebook screen…

Virtual browser - let’s call it FireMonkey - surf the web while technically in your virtual world, maybe set up some ingame websites that can only be reached by jMonkeyEngine games. Very cool would be the ability to read the jME wiki or forum…

Virtual Commodore 64 - look for a good Java-based emulator, then make a 3D-model of the old 8-bit computer and have the screen rendered on your virtual TV or C64-monitor. Then write a network-game, sit down on your virtual couch and play a coop-game on good old C64…

Virtual Linux desktop - maybe possible to achieve this somehow - would be the “killer app” for this scenerio…

I know that jME2 had something similar - a complete Swing-Renderer in 3D (which was very very cool). I think it was a feature of the LWJGL renderer subsystem back then. Don’t know if this is possible with 3.0 / 3.1 now.

For the .pdf reader I’ve done some research and maybe will implement it when I have the time for it.

Empire_Phoenix · September 24, 2015, 1:48pm

Well with no shame for promoting the own library:

The JFX-JME bridge renders to a Texture,
so input handling ignored, you can basically show anything that works on a webpage,swing,or jfx.

Ogli · September 24, 2015, 2:50pm

Will definitely try this library.

Is there a demo video showing a little example (like opening google or a swing application)?
Is there a demo software that allows the user to run it with any URL or swing application?

Empire_Phoenix · September 24, 2015, 4:24pm

github.com

empirephoenix/JME3-JFX/blob/master/src/test/java/com/jme3x/jfx/TestTextureContainer.java

package com.jme3x.jfx;

import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.IdentityHashMap;
import java.util.Map;

import javafx.application.Platform;
import javafx.collections.FXCollections;
import javafx.scene.Group;
import javafx.scene.Scene;
import javafx.scene.control.Button;
import javafx.scene.control.CheckBox;
import javafx.scene.control.ChoiceBox;
import javafx.scene.control.Menu;
import javafx.scene.control.MenuBar;
import javafx.scene.control.MenuItem;
import javafx.scene.control.TextArea;
import javafx.scene.control.TreeItem;
import javafx.scene.control.TreeView;
import javafx.scene.paint.Color;

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Ogli · September 24, 2015, 4:29pm

Good good, will look into this later, have bookmarked this thread.
Thanks for your effort, Empire.

There is one thing that came into my mind:
I remember someone writing that JavaFX is dead today - so it’s not, that’s probably a good thing.
Do you know anything about that topic? Is it still alive and widely supported?

Empire_Phoenix · September 24, 2015, 6:03pm

around 99% of all installed jvm’s support javafx.
since oracle 1.7 jdk, or openjdk1.7, so I would say it is pretty widly supported.

Note, android does not support it.