This book is really a disappointment. In trying to get information on 3D graphics, JOGL, and Java3D all into one 300 page book, the authors have sacrificed vital information on all three topics. What you end up with is a condensed survey of "how to" formulas on pretty simple graphic tasks implemented in JOGL and Java3D, with no idea of the math and algorithms behind them and no real idea of the correct structure of programs written in Java3D or JOGL. Even the exercises are jokes, with some actually consisting of "match a function call in this list to an action in another list". The book is pretty good at describing beginner tasks such as installation details for JOGL and Java3D, but it is definitely downhill from there.
If you want to know about Java3D and JOGL, the best sources are on the web written by individuals that have wrestled with the details and documented them for the rest of us. For computer graphics beginners, I recommend "Fundamentals of Computer Graphics" by Peter Shirley. For a more advanced book on the subject try "3D Computer Graphics" by Alan Watt. Both of these books are non API-specific tutorials, which is what you need to get started. Since these books are rather expensive, a poor man's alternative is the Schaum's Outline on Computer Graphics, which is also non API-specific and quite good considering the low cost. For OpenGL, the latest edition of the "OpenGL Programming Guide" is essential. After all, JOGL is just a Java binding to OpenGL.
I know it is tempting for scientists and engineers who need to do computer graphics programming as part of their job to believe the authors' claim that this book is a shortcut to learning the essentials of this broad subject, but let me assure you there is no such thing.
