Java Graphics and Processing
Posted by Mark at November 19, 2004 10:55 PM
If you've never heard of Processing think "Java Lite". Processing (processing.org) is a quick and easy way to create small Java programs, without having to figure out the intricacies of a development environment like JBuilder or Eclipse. Processing provides many built in functions that make graphics coding easier, such as pixel level image operations, animation looping, and a scaled down set of opengl styled 3D render commands. But the biggest value of it has little to do with Java. The killer features for me are:
1: Processing allows me to start a new code "sketch" just by clicking File | New. To save a copy of a program just click File | SaveAs and enter a new name. In a few seconds I have a new version of the code that I can modify without altering my original, and without having to spend the five minutes that it takes to set up a new project in a development environment.
2: The Export to Web feature creates a folder with applet, jar files, and an index.html set up and ready to ftp to a server. The html page even includes a link to the source code for the applet. The brilliance of this is that it makes it easier to publish the source code than to exclude it, encouraging an open source approach and helping to build up the knowledge base of both Java and Processing.
Once I started using Processing I realized how much I like the feeling of sketching: spontaneously banging out quick ideas. Try something, tweak it, try something else, move on rapidly. Software development environments are made for business and typically assume you'll have a lot of code to organize. Java scales up well for use by the business enterprise, but it needs to scale down for easy access to individuals. Processing does just that by packaging Java into a small-scale and manageable form tailored for graphics programming.
Some applets created in Processing
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