irrlicht VS JMonkeyEngine

Compare irrlicht VS JMonkeyEngine and see what are their differences

Flagsmith

Flagsmith lets you manage feature flags and remote config across web, mobile and server side applications. Deliver true Continuous Integration. Get builds out faster. Control who has access to new features. We're Open Source. featured

Contents:

» Base Details
» Videos
» Reviews
» Alternatives

irrlicht

This caused the Irrlicht homepage and forum to work badly. Over the last days most things started working again – except the forum continues to be broken. Old posts can be read but everything else is currently not working.

JMonkeyEngine

What is jMonkeyEngine? It's a free, open source game engine, made especially for Java game developers who want to create 3D games using modern technology.

Landing page //
2021-09-19

Landing page //
2021-09-20

irrlicht

Website: irrlicht.sourceforge.io
$ Details: -

Edit details

JMonkeyEngine

Website: jmonkeyengine.org
$ Details

Edit details

irrlicht features and specs

Open Source
Irrlicht is open source, which provides developers the opportunity to modify the engine's code to suit their particular needs and contribute to the community.
Cross-Platform
The engine supports multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X, which allows developers to target a broad audience with minimal adjustments.
Lightweight
Irrlicht is known for being lightweight and efficient, making it suitable for projects that require lower system resources.
Ease of Use
The engine offers a straightforward API, making it relatively easy for new developers to learn and integrate into their projects.
Active Community
The engine has a dedicated community that contributes to its development and supports other users through forums and shared resources.

Possible disadvantages of irrlicht

Limited Features
Compared to modern engines, Irrlicht may lack some advanced features such as sophisticated physics or advanced rendering techniques.
Outdated Technology
Irrlicht has not seen significant updates in recent years, which can make it seem outdated compared to modern game engines.
Lack of Documentation
Although there is some community-driven documentation, official resources are somewhat limited, which can be challenging for newcomers.
Small User Base
As a less popular engine, there are fewer resources, tutorials, and third-party tools available compared to more widely used game engines.
Limited Support for Modern Graphics APIs
Irrlicht may not fully support the latest graphics APIs and techniques which can be a limitation for developers aiming to leverage cutting-edge graphics.

JMonkeyEngine features and specs

Open Source
JMonkeyEngine is open-source, which means it's free to use and has a wide community of developers who contribute to its development and offer support.
Java-based
It is built using Java, which makes it accessible to a large number of developers familiar with the language and benefits from Java's portability across different platforms.
Cross-platform
JMonkeyEngine supports multiple platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, enabling developers to create games that run on various devices.
Rich Feature Set
The engine comes with a comprehensive set of features such as advanced 3D graphics, physics integration, terrain generation, and a user-friendly scene graph.
Active Community
An active and responsive community provides forums, tutorials, and additional resources, helping both new and experienced developers.
Integrated Development Environment
It includes its own SDK with an integrated development environment, which simplifies the process of game development by providing tools such as scene composer, model importer, and debugging tools.

Possible disadvantages of JMonkeyEngine

Java Performance
Java generally has performance overhead compared to languages like C++ often used in other game engines. This can be a downside for performance-critical applications.
Limited Mobile Support
While it supports Android, the engine's capabilities and performance on mobile platforms are not as robust as on desktops, and iOS support is limited.
Less Mature Asset Pipeline
The asset pipeline of JMonkeyEngine is not as mature or comprehensive as those found in more established engines like Unity or Unreal, which may require additional effort for asset management.
Smaller Ecosystem
Compared to mainstream engines, JMonkeyEngine has a smaller ecosystem. This means fewer third-party integrations, add-ons, and professional-grade assets available for immediate use.
Steeper Learning Curve for Java
For developers not familiar with Java, there might be a steeper learning curve to become proficient with the language and its associated tools compared to more widely-used game development languages.
Less Commercial Support
Being open-source and community-driven, JMonkeyEngine lacks the commercial support that some other engines offer. This can be a disadvantage for large-scale projects requiring professional backing.

irrlicht videos

+ Add

Album Review: Irrlicht by Klaus Schulze

JMonkeyEngine videos

+ Add

A Closer Look at the jMonkeyEngine

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to irrlicht and JMonkeyEngine)

irrlicht

JMonkeyEngine

Game Development

24 24%

Game Development

76% 76

Game Engine

23 23%

Game Engine

77% 77

3D Game Engine

25 25%

3D Game Engine

75% 75

2D Game Engine

100 100%

2D Game Engine

0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using irrlicht and JMonkeyEngine. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare irrlicht and JMonkeyEngine

irrlicht Reviews

We have no reviews of irrlicht yet.
Be the first one to post

JMonkeyEngine Reviews

The Top 10 Video Game Engines

Right off the bat, the team boldly claims that using their engine will be easier than utilization and outright learning C++, which is true. C++ can be a hang-up for many not familiar with programming, and jMonkeyEngine can be a great option for those who want to create games without really breaking your back trying to learn a whole new language.

Source: www.gamedesigning.org

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, JMonkeyEngine should be more popular than irrlicht. It has been mentiond 23 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

irrlicht mentions (6)

was there a game engine in the early 2000's called: Jet3D?
The Irrlicht Engine seams like a better idea then. https://irrlicht.sourceforge.io/ it is supported and has a small community. Source: almost 3 years ago
My PC is really old ( 2007ish ) , So what Game engine/Framework that isn't simple but can work with that PC in mind ?
I'd recommend Irrlicht Engine. It was very popular during mid-to-late 2000's , and it to my knowledge it still supports OpenGL 1.x as well as its' own software renderer. I once had a PC similar to your specs in 2008, and Irrlicht ran decently alongside ODE physics engine. Source: over 3 years ago
I want to make a game for Linux. Where do I even start?
If we're going to list graphics libraries then bgfx and irrlicht are probably worth a mention as well. Source: over 3 years ago
Why do I only see tutorials on basic stuff?
The make or break moment for me was working on an indie game dev team when I was a teenager. I joined a team and was immediately mentored in a way that made programming and code make sense. We developed using open source engines like Irrlichtand Ogre3D, where my mentor was able to detail what came with the different available libraries, and how to utilize them to create a game. He would assign us to create... Source: over 3 years ago
Hot loading C++ game code
Although primarily intended for games, Irrlicht is a relatively simple library (compared to a full game engine). https://irrlicht.sourceforge.io/. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago

JMonkeyEngine mentions (23)

Unity's Licensing Changes: Discover Stride a Community-Driven Open-Source Engine
> Unfortunately, this is yet another open source game engine with too small a user base. I wonder why some engines are seemingly destined for success and others... aren't. Godot got really big, despite a somewhat similar feature set: https://godotengine.org/ (really nice 2D support, 3D rendering was worse until version 4, GDScript has both a nice iteration speed but also has gotten some criticism, while C# was a... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
My recommendation on which language and libraries to use for the engine.
There more `bare-metal` engines like https://jmonkeyengine.org/ (well it is not C++, it is Java based)... Source: about 2 years ago
[Hobby] Need help implement Continuous Collision Detection in a classic top-down multiplayer space shooter
This project develops a cross-platform Subspace client and server written in Java. It was developed from scratch on the idea of extensibility and modularity. The server is based on modules/frameworks highly optimized for scaled, networked, grid-based, infinite world physics. The client is based on the JMonkeyEngine, a minimalistic modern developer friendly, open source, game engine. Source: about 2 years ago
Godot 4.0 Stable
> Godot is one of those pinnacle FOSS projects that just totally impresses me, especially given the state its in now, with 4.0. It is definitely one of the success stories, at least so far. For example, there are projects like jMonkeyEngine (a game engine in Java, on top of LWJGL) that don't get as much attention and their movement forwards is way slower: https://jmonkeyengine.org/ There's also Stride 3D, which is... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
I can't think about another video game using Java. I mean, there WILL be more but i haven't saw them.
It is, or at least was, efficient. Java has a great game engine called https://jmonkeyengine.org/ that at the time could compete with Unity, not sure the status now. And LWJGL, the lower layer for ooengl, was quite nice to use and it is efficient to go that low level if you plan to do a game that does not fit the stereotypes in such game engines, as you will find yourself fighting the engine more than the actual... Source: over 2 years ago