JME Extension

The JME Extension library provides additional functionality to a JME application:

Simply extend JmeSingletonApplication instead of SimpleApplication

• A static singleton class to access throughout your application.
• An asynchronous AssetManager.
• ability to execute code in "the next frame".

Static Singleton Class

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To access the JME application anywhere in your code use JmeSingletonApplication.getInstance().

The instance has all the methods usually available, and includes two others:

• enqueueNextFrame(Runnable)
• getAsyncAssetManager()

Asynchronous AssetManager

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The asynchronous AssetManager can be accessed anywhere via JmeSingletonApplication.getInstance().getAsyncAssetManager(). The AsyncAssetManager will load all assets on a thread other than the main-loop thread. By default, any asynchronous tasks are executed using the CompletableFuture class, though this behavior can be changed.

An ExecutorService can be explicitly defined via: JmeSingletonApplication.geInstance().getAsyncAssetManager.setExecutorService(executorService, manageExecutorShutdown).

If you elect to not have the AsyncAssetManager manage the shutdown of the ExecutorService you must do so yourself. If defined, that ExecutorService will be used instead of the CompletableFuture class unless an ExecutorService is defined in the method call (see below).

An ExecutorService can be defined in each call via a method overload. For example:

JmeSingletonApplication.getInstance().getAsyncAssetManager().loadModel(String name, Executor executor)

If an ExecutorService is defined in the method call, that ExecutorService will always be used.

In summary: If no ExecutorService is defined at all, the action will be run using the CompletableFuture class. If an ExecutorService is set, it will use that ExecutorService instead of a CompletableFuture. If an ExecutorService is defined in the method, that ExecutorService will always be used, regardless of whether or not one has been set.

This behavior is defined in code as:

public void loadTexture(String name, ExecutorService executor, AsyncCallback<Texture>) {
    
    if (executor != null) {
        // use the given executor...
    }
    else if (executorService != null) {
        // use the ExecutorService defined in .setExecutorService 
    }
    else {
        // use the CompletableFuture class.
    }
    
}

Loading Variations

There are 3 ways to load assets asynchronously. Most notably, you can load items as a singular or in multiples. In the case of multiples you can opt to get the result as they are loaded or all at once.

- Load a single asset.
    - loadModel(String name, AsyncCallback<Spatial> callback);
    - loadTexture(String name, AsyncCallback<Texture> callback);

- Load multiple assets and return them as they are loaded.
    - loadAllModels(IndexedAsyncCallback<Spatial> callback, String... names)
    - loadAllTextures(IndexedAsyncCallback<Texture> callback, String... names)
    
- Load multiple assets and return the complete set.
    - loadAllModels(AsyncCallback<Spatial[]> callback, String... names)
    - loadAllTextures(AsyncCallback<Texture[]> callback, String... names)

In addition, there are variants of these methods that accept an Executor.

Next-Frame Execution

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Executes given runnables in "the next frame".

This behavior is leveraged by utilizing the simpleUpdate(float tpf) method. This method is called first - before any AppState, and therefore any runnable that is added to the "next frame" queue will be added after this list is emptied, and so guaranteed to run in the next frame.

Below is an over-simplified example of how this works.

- Game Loop
    - simpleUpdate
        - execute any Runnables in the "next frame" queue.
    - AppStates...
        - AppState calls JmeSingletonApplication().getInstance().enqueueNextFrame(runnable).

... end of loop. start again ...

One of the great things about this ability is to be able to add a new AppState to the AppStateManager and execute code in the next loop after the AppState has been initialized:

getStateManager.attach(new MyAppState());
JmeSingletonApplication().getInstance().enqueueNextFrame(() -> getStateManager.getState(MyAppState.class).doSomethingAfterInitialization());