jMonkeyEngine3 SDK Beta released!
As always the jMonkeyEngine team is very happy to announce the latest release of jMonkeyEngine3, we finally arrived at beta!
It was a long way to beta
First of all we’d like to apologize for the delay of the beta release, we wanted to make sure the most problematic issues (e.g. SDK/Swing not working on Linux) and most wanted features (Android deployment and a working Android renderer) made it into the beta so they can be tested and be expanded on properly.
While the jMonkeyEngine SDK (jMonkeyPlatform) will still see some major improvements until release, its time for all to get used to the jME3 API, as its nearing its first finished release state. Many additions, improvements and some intense cleansing have lead to what we believe is a solid foundation for any type of 3D game on any platform. The use of Java and the consequent unification of features delivers unparalleled ease of development and deployment for your games and we plan to extend on these advantages in the future. The goal is to write games, not getting entangled in language / build process / target platform issues long before you start to code and jMonkeyEngine delivers on that.
Changes
See some of the various changes made to both the core engine and SDK.
Core Engine
- Android 2.2+ support
- Blender model loader
- Spotlight
- Grid Terrain
- Kinematic rag doll
- Underwater filter
- Steep Parallax Mapping
- Improved j3m flexibility
- OpenGL1 lighting
- Improved networking library
- Native Bullet physics
- NiftyGUI 1.3
- JavaDoc improvements
- Many more improvements and additions
Major Bugs
- Linux canvas fixed
- Lighting bugs fixed
- Applet on MacOSX and Linux fixed and improved
SDK (jMonkeyPlatform)
- Android Deployment
- Blender model support
- Edit post processing filters
- Font creator
- Move widgets in SceneComposer and TerrainEditor
- Improved terrain editing
- Improved material and particle editing
- Improved Model Importer
- Improved Eclipse support
- Material editor, Nifty editor etc. all work without the main OpenGL window being open
- Updated Help and Documentation
- WorldForge AssetPack with lots of free to use models
- jME2 Model Import (WIP, optional install)
Major Bugs
- Linux freezes
- Canvas issues
Updates
During alpha it became apparent that many users feel forced to switch to the unstable “nightly” version because of some new feature, thus breaking their projects and SDK installs on various occasions. To counteract this from now on we’ll push “stable” updates more often using the same update path that will be used for the final version of jME3 and the SDK.
Note that if you want to test the nightly versions it is recommended to use a separate settings folder with the nightly version of jME SDK so you can try the nightly version while keeping your stable install intact, see more details here.
Versioning of jME3 when going stable
As you know, jME is now at version 3 and we intend to keep it that way, maybe more than you think As jME3 is a complete rewrite of the whole engine, we intend to keep the “3″ version number for a long time and provide possibly API breaking updates like the one from jME1 to jME2 as point updates (e.g. jME 3.1). Simple fixes and additions that don’t change or deprecate anything are coming as e.g. jME 3.0.3 updates. The SDK and all of its core plugins will also have the same version number so theres no confusion about what works with what.
To clarify the future versioning of jMonkeyEngine (X = number changes):
3.0.X – Bugfixes and feature updates that do not break current projects or the engine API, pushed automatically via stable update center.
3.X.0 – Major release with completely new features, may contain API changes or break current projects, requires new download of SDK which can be run in parallel to previous version without mixing up settings for easy transition.
X.0.0 – jME release version, will be “3″ as long as the engine does not get completely rewritten again (similar to MacOS X).
Upgrade notes
Its recommended to uninstall previous versions of the SDK using the uninstaller:
Windows:
- Select jMonkeyPlatform in your installed software list and uninstall it
- (Alternatively) Double-click the uninstall.exe in the jmonkeyplatform folder
- Go through the uninstall wizard
Linux:
- Run the uninstall.sh file in the jMonkeyPlatform install folder
- Go through the uninstall wizard
MacOSX:
- Right click the jMonkeyPlatform application and select “show contents”
- Double-click the uninstall.command file in the folder that opens
- Go through the uninstall wizard
- Delete the empty jMonkeyPlatform application.
Get it now!
As always, you can download the release in our downloads section.
Happy coding,
The jMonkeyEngine Team
Something about Normen Hansen
Seeing the community around jMonkeyEngine and the power of the emerging jME3 engine I decided to step in and support this project best I could after it was abandoned by its own creators. Feeling that I could provide some ideas to solve some of jME’s technical problems like external libraries or user accessibility I now try to keep an eye on both to make the jME experience a painless one. The jMonkeyPlatform is my most ambitious attempt in that direction.
YAY! Great job guys!
Yaaaaaaay. Just downloading…..
Woooooooooohoooooooo!!! I’m so happy!!!!!!!!!!
thank you!!!!!!!!!
Just a Great job
Thanks for putting in all the hard work and getting it out there @normen
Great job Normen.
At last we did it \o/
Now let’s head to final release
Congrats for reaching the beta!
Is it a mandatory to download and install the new release, for users who have been updating from the nightly regularly?
Yes.
What is the reason?
The reason is that the latest nightly and the current version are the same internally. Also the old update centers have been closed. If you need Alpha-4 just use that, if you need the Alpha-4 updated to nightly use the Beta. If you need anything in between thats a self-made problem
wooooooohoooooooo
thank you guys!!!
Yuuuuuuuuhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!
Congratulations for the beta release to all of you!!!!
yeh sweet
, good job everyone
Awsome!
Nice commercial
RESPECT guys.
Congrats and yays all around
Congrats guys! I look forward to testing the beta in the upcoming weeks/months!
Thank you very much! I will download it now!
jME – THIS is the jGaming future!
Exceptional work guys!
Yeeharrr!
Congrats guys! This is so amazing.^^
Thank you very much guys! We are just as happy as you are believe me
Obviously we already found some small bugs but none of them are lethal, so we’ll push the first stable update when some more of the remaining issues (e.g. y-up for blender etc.) have been fixed as well.
Is the next major release is going to be the stable one? or some variant of beta?
You are quite the bag of questions lately eh?
Beta will receive stable updates through the update center (what later 3.0.x updates would be), before release there will be only one “Release Candidate” of the new SDK application as a separate download.
Congratulations! Jme is really cool concurrent to Unity!
Guys, don’t forget to fix normal mapping Binormal/tangents problem for the final release.
the 2.5x animation issues too
.
CryEngine 4 will be jME based
lg – Your FreeCoder
Great work and thanks!
Congratulations with reaching this new milestone!
Congratulations, this is really, really great!! We’ve been waiting for this so long. Thanks for all contributors, good jobs!
hey, the final release will be 6.9 or a newest version?
What do you mean? The base platform is 7.0.1 at the moment. We are not really dependent on their release cycle anymore though.
yay. I thought the base plataform was 6.9
.
Nice!
Nice guys!
Are there updated tutorials for this? Like, how to use JME3 with Android 2.2 and how to use Blender models?
As always, just press F1 and check the manual.
Hello,
you should really start a open source demo competition. Make cool short animated videos with JMonkey and give the source code to the community. This would be a great way to get some new interesting examples
The prizepool can be collected via spending (?) from the community.
I would love it. See you.
We are actually in discussion with a community member who wants to organize a contest. Will have more news on that front shortly.
Thank you guys, you’re great.
It’s hard to find a decent cross-platform game engine, but this engine isn’t only decent, it’s fantastic.
So I take my hat off to you that you create something such great and make it available for everyone without charging something.
Keep up this great work!
this-is-so-nice! thank you community, jmonkey is the best java 3d engine.
congrats reaching Beta
Nice one team. Thanks for the efforts.
Hi guys Ive got a bit of a prob i installed the latest jdk and the jmonkey bata but it wont start up it doesn’t load it doesn’t even start a posses in the task bar anyone have a idea on how to fix this problem? i have the right download packages im sure so wot else can it be anyone with any ideas will be appreciated
oh and extra info jdk 7u2 win x86 and x64 are both installed