Project Looking Glass 3D, or LG3D for short, is a revolutionary method of user interaction with their computers - a 3D Desktop actually.
This method allows users to utilize 3D capabilities of their computers, resulting in having a stunning 3D environment and more user-friendly touch.
LG3D developed by Sun Microsystems and The Open-Source community, using Java, for several years now, and recently hit the v1.0 mark. It allows people to use new LG3D applications as well as their existing X-applications on the new 3D desktop, while replacing the traditional “Window Manager” by the new 3D “Scene Manager”.
It gives people more eye-candy and potentially will make computer usage easier. It can run on top of your current environment (KDE/GNOME) or replace them.
This article is going to describe how-to setup and work with LG3D. Note that currently it is still too early to be considered as a production setting, so don't expect it to replace KDE kwin or what-you-have any years soon. Fortunately the v1.0 is stable enough, so I did not experience any crashes during the several days I worked with it.
CPU: Intel Pentium III or AMD Athlon 1 GHz class or faster.
RAM: 512 MiB
3D Graphics Accelerator: GeForce 3 class and up (or any video chip supporting OpenGL v1.3) with 32MiB of video RAM or more. Make sure that Accelerated drivers installed. To show OpenGL version, use:
glxinfo | grep -i "GLX version"
To show the amount of video RAM you have, use:
grep -i ram /var/log/Xorg.0.log; grep -i mem /var/log/Xorg.0.log
NOTE: It's not very reliable, so look here: http://en.opensuse.org/How-to_view_the_amount_of_Video_RAM_on_Linux%3F
Screen resolution: 800x600 or above at 24 or 32-bits (True Color)
Disable XGL, because it is not compatible with LG3D.
Fast Internet to download stuff. half Mbps or up.
3-Button Mouse (LG3D makes use of middle mouse click)
openSUSE x86 (does not run on x86-64 or other architectures)
NOTE: The requirements listed here are recommended, not absolute minimum. LG3D might run with lower specs.
Download LG3D from their site: https://lg3d.dev.java.net/lg3d-getting-started.html as it is not included with openSUSE.
Choose “binary mega-bundle” for Linux, x86. It includes Java6, Java3D and LG3D and weigths at about 150 MB.
Once download complete, you can install it either as normal user, or as root
. setup read and execution rights, and run the file:
suser@localhost:~> chmod a+rx ./lg3d--1-0-0-linux-i686-0612190943.bin suser@localhost:~> ./lg3d--1-0-0-linux-i686-0612190943.bin"
Now you are ready to run it ! Once again, check your execution rights, and just run:
suser@localhost:~> chmod a+rx ./lg3d/bin/* suser@localhost:~> ./lg3d/bin/lg3d-app
A 3D desktop requires new concepts and new ways in navigation in a new 3D space. Here I will describe some of the capabilities of the new LG3D Scene Manager. Unfortunately it is preconfigured to react upon mouse move, and, unlike KDE kwin, cannot be configured or customized otherwise.
File Manager - There is an integrated file manager in LG3D. To use it, just move your mouse to top-left corner of the screen. It is not convenient, because it interferes with my work, but LG3D is not configurable. period.
Multiple Desktops - LG3D provides us with an equevalent of KDE Pager, with up to 3 useble Desktops or "workspaces", left, middle, and right. You start LG3D in middle desktop. To move to left desktop, move your mouse to the left side of the screen, near it's end, until the cursor changes shape. Then, left-click to move to left desktop. Screenshot:
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3D view/rotate - move your mouse to the Java Logo at top-right corner of your screen, left-click, don't release, and move your mouse around to rotate your 3D workspace. Once you release your left-mouse-button, the windows will go to original state. There is no way to save position. Screenshot:
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Taking notes - it is possible to write some notes on the back of any X-application by right-clicking on the application window-name at the top of the application window. Very useful feature.
3D minimize - with Middle Mouse Click on window name (top of the window) - it allows a new sort of "minimized" windows, that is - unfocused windows flowing in 3D space - a very useful feature. Alternatively, you can left-click near minimize button, on top of the window, to 3D minimize either to left or to right side. Unfortunately, that works only on middle desktop. Screenshot:
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NOTE: On the screenshot above, you see both normal minimize - a window at the taskbar *and* a 3D minimize -- window floating in background 3D space.
Close Window - either use "X" at top-right corener as in normal WM, or right click at on the window on the taskbar. Do not use Alt+F4, as it will close LG3D.
Switch to Full Screen is easy in KDE (Alt+F3->Advanced->Full Screen), or left-click on top-left window corner->Advanced->Full Screen. This may, or may not work, depending on your KDE configuration. Alternatively, you might have to run "lg3d-app-full". (useful for non-KDE environments).
Resizing a window is a difficult task with LG3D, mainly because of total lack of configurability. I succeeded in resizing window, only when I moved the application window that way, so I could target window's bottom-right corner. Under normal WM (read: kwin) every corner will do. Screenshot:
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Besides the capability to run normal 2D X-applications, LG3D offers a new set of LG3D native applications. One of those is the 3D photo viewer. Screenshot:
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NOTE: Most LG3D applications today are just eye-candy demos, lacking any real working engine.
If your LG3D crashes on start or doesn't starts at all, chances that is something going bad with your 3D setup - OpenGL. Try to:
Install an accelerated driver.
Disable XGL
If your LG3D runs, but without X-apps integration try to:
launch "postinstall" script
full restart your computer (X-restart didn't help me)
Source Code. The project is under GPL, but I couldn't find sources on their site. Just the CVS, but those are not sources for the v1.0. Besides I want it in tarball format. (Linux standard)
Generally poor user documentation. Especially Troubleshooting section.
Ugly fonts. Rendering aliased fonts in 3D space produces nearly unreable results. I think that both AntiAliased fonts and 3D AntiAliasing must work together to resolve that issue.
Too small buttons on window's top-right corner. This usability issue prevents me from successfully manipulating my windows.
Overall, Excellent Project. It's pretty stable (with some minor issues), but way more stable than I expected. Also... it is fast - the graphics rendering is Very fast on my old AMD Athlon XP 1.6 GHz system with nVidia GeForce FX 5200 3D card.
Future: In the near future, I hope, LG3D will be available as a RPM for openSUSE. In the distant future - I don't know exactly where it is taking us, but, to me, it is clear, that we need something more powerful, in terms of raw features KDE kwin - wins easily - but not in 3D.
That is - we (the OSS community) either need to improve kwin to become "Scene Manager", rather than just "Window Manager" -or- improve LG3D to have the power and configurability of kwin. It is up to developers to decide which approach is better, and it's up to developers to decide wherever to go Java or C++ way. LG3D, as it is now, is an excellent test-bed for future-generations of 3D Desktops, that tests futuristic concepts. I like the concepts of LG3D, but not the current implementation.
Getting Started: https://lg3d.dev.java.net/lg3d-getting-started.html.
Forum: http://forums.java.net/jive/forum.jspa?forumID=80.
Mailing-Lists: https://lg3d.dev.java.net/servlets/ProjectMailingListList.
Article about the project: http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/J2SE/Desktop/lookingglass/
Nice demo videos: http://youtube.com/results?search_query=looking+glass+3d&search=Search