Introduction

Hardware requirements for adequate three dimensional (3D) graphics capabilities, are demanding in terms of ROM footprint, RAM size and processor powers. 3D graphics APIs that are suitable for desktop and server environments are not designed for mobile devices with limited capabilities and resources. The JSR-184 specification, implemented and supported by Nokia and other mobile phone vendors, is designed to provide a lightweight, yet highly functional, interactive 3D graphics Java API for mobile phones and devices.

In addition to the API specification for rendering 3D graphics at interactive frame rates, JSR-184 provides a binary file format for efficient management and deployment of 3D content. Data can be written into a file by content creation tools on a PC, and loaded into the API through the Loader class.

Nokia have co-operated with members of the JSR-184 Expert Group to provide developers with a free tool that allows them to utilize the features and functionalities of the JSR-184 specification.

You can download the JSR-184 Mobile 3D API for J2ME™ specification from the Forum Nokia website, which also contains documents on developing M3G applications using the M3G API

The www.m3gexporter.com site provides, free of charge, the M3G Exporter tool for 3ds max, the industry standard 3D animation tool. M3G Exporter exports files compatible to JSR-184 specification. In the site, there are two versions available:

• M3G Exporter - 3ds max version 5.1
• M3G Exporter - 3ds max version 6.0