Choosing a Graphics Mode

Applications are free to use whichever approach is most appropriate or to use a combination of the retained mode and immediate mode APIs.

JSR 184 provides a standard API for CLDC/MIDP devices, enabling a new generation of 3D applications. The immediate mode API, in turn, is compatible with OpenGL ES, a standard lightweight API for 3D graphics. See http://khronos.org/ for more information on OpenGL ES.

Immediate Mode

Immediate mode is appropriate for applications that generate 3D graphics content algorithmically, such as scientific visualizations or statistical graphs. The application creates 3D objects and manipulates them directly.

For an example of immediate mode, see the Life3D MIDlet in the Demo3D example application.

Retained Mode

Most applications, particularly games, use the retained mode or scene graph API. In this approach, a graphic designer or artist uses 3D modeling software to create a scene graph. The scene graph is saved in the JSR 184 file format. The scene graph file is bundled with the application. At runtime, the application uses the scene graph API to load and display the file.

Applications can manipulate parts of a loaded scene graph to animate characters or create other effects. The basic strategy is to do as much work as possible in the modeling software. At runtime, the application can grab and manipulate parts of the scene graph, which can also include paths for animation or other effects.

For an example of retained mode, see the retainedmode MIDlet in the Demo3D example application.