Documentation Index
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The gov.nasa.worldwind.render package provides the full suite of geometric and annotative objects that can be drawn on the globe. All visual objects implement Renderable, and most extend AbstractShape, which wires them into WorldWind’s ordered rendering, picking, and highlighting pipelines. Shapes are added to a RenderableLayer and can share ShapeAttributes instances to reduce memory usage.
Renderable Interface
The root interface for everything that can be drawn. DrawContext carries the OpenGL state, view, globe, and scene-controller reference for the current frame.
Renderable — the single rendering contract
public interface Renderable {
/**
* Draw this object using the provided draw context.
* @param dc the current DrawContext; never null.
*/
void render(DrawContext dc);
}
ShapeAttributes / BasicShapeAttributes
ShapeAttributes is a shared, mutable attribute bundle used by Path, Polygon, SurfaceShape, and related classes. BasicShapeAttributes is the standard implementation. Attribute instances can be shared across many shapes — changes take effect on the next rendered frame.
ShapeAttributes — creating and configuring
ShapeAttributes attrs = new BasicShapeAttributes();
// Interior fill
attrs.setDrawInterior(true);
attrs.setInteriorMaterial(new Material(Color.BLUE));
attrs.setInteriorOpacity(0.5);
// Outline
attrs.setDrawOutline(true);
attrs.setOutlineMaterial(new Material(Color.WHITE));
attrs.setOutlineOpacity(1.0);
attrs.setOutlineWidth(2.0); // pixels; capped at implementation max (~10)
attrs.setOutlineStippleFactor(3); // each bit repeated 3× (dashed lines)
attrs.setOutlineStipplePattern((short) 0xF0F0); // bit pattern
// Lighting
attrs.setEnableLighting(true);
attrs.setEnableAntialiasing(true);
// Interior texture (replaces interior material when set)
attrs.setImageSource("images/earth_texture.png"); // String, URL, or BufferedImage
attrs.setImageScale(1.0); // 1.0 = no scaling
// Highlight copy (modify independently)
ShapeAttributes highlight = attrs.copy();
highlight.setInteriorMaterial(new Material(Color.YELLOW));
| Method | Type | Description |
|---|
setDrawInterior(boolean) | visibility | Show/hide fill geometry. |
setDrawOutline(boolean) | visibility | Show/hide outline. |
setInteriorMaterial(Material) | colour | Fill colour / lighting properties. |
setOutlineMaterial(Material) | colour | Outline colour / lighting properties. |
setInteriorOpacity(double) | opacity | 0–1, independent from outline. |
setOutlineOpacity(double) | opacity | 0–1, independent from fill. |
setOutlineWidth(double) | geometry | Pixels; 0 disables outline. |
setEnableLighting(boolean) | shading | Applies DrawContext standard lighting. |
setImageSource(Object) | texture | Replaces fill with a texture image. |
setImageScale(double) | texture | Magnification/minification factor. |
copy() | utility | Shallow clone for highlight variants. |
AbstractShape
AbstractShape is the base class for Path, Polygon, ExtrudedPolygon, and similar 3D shapes. It implements Highlightable, OrderedRenderable, Movable, Movable2, Draggable, and Restorable.
AbstractShape — common property setters
// Altitude mode (WorldWind.ABSOLUTE | RELATIVE_TO_GROUND | CLAMP_TO_GROUND)
shape.setAltitudeMode(WorldWind.RELATIVE_TO_GROUND);
// Normal vs. highlight attributes
shape.setAttributes(normalAttrs);
shape.setHighlightAttributes(highlightAttrs);
shape.setHighlighted(true);
// Visibility
shape.setVisible(true);
// Pick width (pixels wider than drawn outline for easier picking)
shape.setOutlinePickWidth(10); // default 10 px
AbstractShape:
- Interior:
Material.LIGHT_GRAY
- Outline:
Material.DARK_GRAY
- Highlight:
Material.WHITE
- Default altitude mode:
WorldWind.ABSOLUTE
Path
Path draws a line or curve between a sequence of Position objects. It supports great-circle, rhumb, and linear path types; terrain conformance; and extrusion to a vertical curtain.
Path — construction and key setters
List<Position> positions = Arrays.asList(
Position.fromDegrees(37.0, -122.0, 1000),
Position.fromDegrees(37.5, -121.5, 2000),
Position.fromDegrees(38.0, -121.0, 1500)
);
Path path = new Path(positions);
// Path interpolation type
path.setPathType(AVKey.GREAT_CIRCLE); // GREAT_CIRCLE | RHUMB_LINE | LINEAR
// Terrain following
path.setFollowTerrain(true);
path.setTerrainConformance(10.0); // target pixels between tessellation points
// Vertical curtain (extrude to ground)
path.setExtrude(true);
path.setDrawVerticals(true); // draw vertical lines at each position point
// Altitude mode
path.setAltitudeMode(WorldWind.RELATIVE_TO_GROUND);
// Show position dots
path.setShowPositions(true);
path.setShowPositionsScale(5.0); // dot diameter scale
path.setShowPositionsThreshold(1e6); // eye-distance threshold in meters
// Update positions after construction
path.setPositions(newPositions);
Iterable<? extends Position> current = path.getPositions();
// Attributes
ShapeAttributes attrs = new BasicShapeAttributes();
attrs.setOutlineMaterial(new Material(Color.CYAN));
attrs.setOutlineWidth(3.0);
path.setAttributes(attrs);
When drawn on a 2D globe, Path automatically delegates to a SurfacePolyline. Extrusion, draw-verticals, and outline pick width are not available in 2D mode.
Polygon
Polygon renders a closed 3D polygon with an optional interior fill, outlines, and interior boundaries (holes). Vertices are expressed as Position objects; altitude mode determines how altitudes are interpreted.
Polygon — outer boundary and inner holes
List<Position> outer = Arrays.asList(
Position.fromDegrees(37.0, -122.0, 500),
Position.fromDegrees(37.0, -121.0, 500),
Position.fromDegrees(38.0, -121.0, 500),
Position.fromDegrees(38.0, -122.0, 500)
);
Polygon polygon = new Polygon(outer);
polygon.setAltitudeMode(WorldWind.ABSOLUTE);
// Add a hole
List<Position> hole = Arrays.asList(
Position.fromDegrees(37.3, -121.8, 500),
Position.fromDegrees(37.3, -121.3, 500),
Position.fromDegrees(37.7, -121.3, 500),
Position.fromDegrees(37.7, -121.8, 500)
);
polygon.addInnerBoundary(hole);
ShapeAttributes fill = new BasicShapeAttributes();
fill.setInteriorMaterial(new Material(new Color(0, 100, 200, 180)));
fill.setDrawInterior(true);
fill.setDrawOutline(true);
fill.setOutlineWidth(2.0);
polygon.setAttributes(fill);
ExtrudedPolygon
ExtrudedPolygon extends Polygon by extruding the footprint upward to form a solid 3D building-like volume. Cap and side faces can have independent attributes.
ExtrudedPolygon — cap and side styling
ExtrudedPolygon ep = new ExtrudedPolygon(footprintPositions);
// Style the roof (cap)
ShapeAttributes capAttrs = new BasicShapeAttributes();
capAttrs.setInteriorMaterial(new Material(Color.DARK_GRAY));
capAttrs.setDrawOutline(false);
ep.setCapAttributes(capAttrs);
// Style the walls (sides)
ShapeAttributes sideAttrs = new BasicShapeAttributes();
sideAttrs.setInteriorMaterial(new Material(Color.LIGHT_GRAY));
sideAttrs.setImageSource("textures/brick.png");
ep.setSideAttributes(sideAttrs);
// Push the base below the terrain surface (meters)
ep.setBaseDepth(5.0);
SurfaceShape
SurfaceShape is the interface for shapes that drape conformally on the terrain surface. Implementations automatically re-project onto the terrain; no altitude values are used for vertical positioning.
SurfaceShape interface — key members
public interface SurfaceShape
extends SurfaceObject, Highlightable, ExtentHolder,
MeasurableArea, MeasurableLength, Restorable, Attributable {
// Geometry extent for the shape on the surface
Sector getSector(); // bounding lat/lon sector
void setAttributes(ShapeAttributes normalAttrs);
void setHighlightAttributes(ShapeAttributes highlightAttrs);
boolean isHighlighted();
void setHighlighted(boolean highlighted);
}
SurfaceShape subclasses:
| Class | Key Constructor Parameters | Description |
|---|
SurfacePolygon | Iterable<LatLon> | Closed filled polygon on terrain. |
SurfacePolyline | Iterable<LatLon> | Open polyline draped on terrain. |
SurfaceCircle | LatLon center, double radius | Circle by geographic center + radius (meters). |
SurfaceEllipse | LatLon center, double majorRadius, double minorRadius, Angle heading | Ellipse with orientation. |
SurfaceQuad | LatLon center, double width, double height, Angle heading | Oriented rectangle. |
SurfaceSector | Sector | Fills a lat/lon bounding rectangle. |
SurfacePolygon — terrain-conforming fill
List<LatLon> locations = Arrays.asList(
LatLon.fromDegrees(37.0, -122.0),
LatLon.fromDegrees(37.0, -121.0),
LatLon.fromDegrees(38.0, -121.0),
LatLon.fromDegrees(38.0, -122.0)
);
SurfacePolygon poly = new SurfacePolygon(locations);
ShapeAttributes a = new BasicShapeAttributes();
a.setInteriorMaterial(new Material(new Color(0, 200, 100, 120)));
a.setDrawInterior(true);
a.setDrawOutline(true);
a.setOutlineMaterial(new Material(Color.GREEN));
poly.setAttributes(a);
layer.addRenderable(poly);
PointPlacemark
PointPlacemark is a screen-space icon with an optional label and a leader line connecting the icon to its 3D geographic position.
PointPlacemark — construction and styling
Position pos = Position.fromDegrees(37.9, -122.4, 0);
PointPlacemark placemark = new PointPlacemark(pos);
placemark.setLabelText("Oakland");
placemark.setAltitudeMode(WorldWind.CLAMP_TO_GROUND);
// Show the leader line from icon to terrain contact point
placemark.setLineEnabled(true);
// Custom icon
PointPlacemarkAttributes pma = new PointPlacemarkAttributes();
pma.setImageAddress("images/pushpin.png");
pma.setScale(0.6); // scale relative to image size
pma.setImageOffset(new Offset(0.5, 0.0, // centre-bottom anchor
AVKey.FRACTION, AVKey.FRACTION));
pma.setLabelColor("ffffffff"); // ARGB hex string
pma.setLabelOffset(new Offset(0.9, 0.6,
AVKey.FRACTION, AVKey.FRACTION));
placemark.setAttributes(pma);
// Highlight attributes (optional)
PointPlacemarkAttributes highlight = new PointPlacemarkAttributes(pma);
highlight.setScale(0.9);
placemark.setHighlightAttributes(highlight);
layer.addRenderable(placemark);
PointPlacemark participates in global text decluttering when setEnableDecluttering(true) is called. Only the label is considered during declutter calculations.
PointPlacemark implements LODSelector as an inner interface. Register your own LODSelector via setLODSelector(LODSelector) to dynamically swap attributes or scale based on eye distance — useful for performance-critical symbol sets.
Combined Example
Adding multiple shapes to a RenderableLayer
RenderableLayer layer = new RenderableLayer();
layer.setName("Scenario Shapes");
// A terrain-conforming area
SurfaceCircle area = new SurfaceCircle(LatLon.fromDegrees(37.5, -122.0), 50000);
ShapeAttributes areaAttrs = new BasicShapeAttributes();
areaAttrs.setInteriorMaterial(new Material(new Color(255, 0, 0, 80)));
areaAttrs.setDrawOutline(true);
areaAttrs.setOutlineMaterial(new Material(Color.RED));
areaAttrs.setOutlineWidth(2);
area.setAttributes(areaAttrs);
layer.addRenderable(area);
// A 3D flight path
List<Position> flightPath = Arrays.asList(
Position.fromDegrees(37.0, -122.5, 5000),
Position.fromDegrees(37.8, -121.8, 8000),
Position.fromDegrees(38.5, -121.2, 3000)
);
Path path = new Path(flightPath);
path.setPathType(AVKey.GREAT_CIRCLE);
path.setAltitudeMode(WorldWind.ABSOLUTE);
ShapeAttributes pathAttrs = new BasicShapeAttributes();
pathAttrs.setOutlineMaterial(new Material(Color.CYAN));
pathAttrs.setOutlineWidth(3);
path.setAttributes(pathAttrs);
layer.addRenderable(path);
// A waypoint marker
PointPlacemark wp = new PointPlacemark(Position.fromDegrees(37.8, -121.8, 8000));
wp.setLabelText("WP1");
wp.setAltitudeMode(WorldWind.ABSOLUTE);
layer.addRenderable(wp);
wwd.getModel().getLayers().add(layer);
