Java™ Media APIs: Cross-Platform Imaging, Media, and Visualization

Texture Mapping

One of the keys to making realistic looking environments is the proper use of texture maps. Texture maps are special images that are applied to 3D geometry and are most often used to simulate detail in the scene that would be impractical to create with geometric primitives (for example, grass). Texture maps are also used extensively to show mountainous scenes or cities in the far distance. When used properly, texturing can add a great deal of realism to virtual environments. When used improperly, texture mapping can destroy rendering performance. An understanding of basic texture mapping is invaluable to the applications developer. We provide a short introduction here and follow up with more detail in Chapter 11.

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