creating 3D volume without using 3D array

[need_Direction]

Hi, I wanna ask how to create 3D volume object contains x, y, z without using 3D array in Java?

[javaAddict]

What exactly do you want to accomplish?
When you say 3D volume object, you mean Graphics, or just a java class that represents a 3D Rectangular?

[need_Direction]

Not a graphic, only an array that represent 3d rectangular...
for ex for 2d array we declare : int grid[][]
then usually for 3d array we declare: int grid[][][]

but in my assignment, we are not supposed to do something like that...
so is there another way to do it??

[javaAddict]

You will not use an array. You need arrays to store data, not create objects.

You will create a class with attributes the "sizes" of the Recatngular: x ,y, z
Then you will have a constructor that as arguments 3 values and sets the above attributes: x,y,x
You will also have methods that set and get those values. Here is a link that I took from another post by stephen84s:
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/java/javaOO/classes.html
http://www.maths.abdn.ac.uk/~igc/tch/mx3015/notes/node50.html

You will 1, or 2 constructors, 3 get Methods, 3 set Methods and a method that returns the volume

[need_Direction]

how do i am going to use that class in the
main driver?
just create something like this:
Point3D position = new Point3D(x, y, z);
or
Point3D [][]position = new position[x][y];

[javaAddict]

This: Point3D [][]position = new position[x][y]; is only for arrays and it is wrong the way you wrote it.

You will use this to create 1 Point3D instance: Point3D position = new Point3D(x, y, z); If you want for example an array that will have Point3D objects:

Point3D [] points = new Point3D[5];
points[0] = new Point3D(1,2,3);
points[1] = new Point3D(...);
points[2] = new Point3D(...);
points[3] = new Point3D(...);
points[4] = new Point3D(...);

Also post your code just to see what you did

[need_Direction]

the Shark and OceanLife class contains Point3D.
User will be asked to input the value for x, y, and z.
Basically, i am trying to store the sharks that I have created in one variable, so that I can loop and print it out based on their position.

import java.awt.*;
import java.util.*;

public class Ocean
{
    private LinkedList<Shark> sharks;
    protected String gender[] = {"female", "male"};
    private Random rand = new Random();
    private int theX, theY, theZ;
    private OceanLife [][] position;
   
    public Ocean(int x, int y, int z, int sharkNum)
    {
        theX = x;
        theY = y;
        theZ = z;
        
        sharks = new LinkedList<Shark>();
        position = new OceanLife[theX][theY];
        
        for(int i = 0; i < sharkNum; i++)
        {   
            String theGender = getGender();
            Shark sharkTemp = new Shark(rand.nextInt(x), rand.nextInt(y), rand.nextInt(z), 20, 10, 10, theGender); 
            addShark(sharkTemp);
            position[sharkTemp.position.getX()][sharkTemp.position.getY()] = sharkTemp;
        }
        
        print();
    }
    
    public void print()
    {
        
        for(int i = 0; i < sharks.size(); i++)
        {
            System.out.println("shark num: " + i + " with x : " + sharks.get(i).position.getX() + " , y : " + sharks.get(i).position.getY() + " , z : "+ sharks.get(i).position.getZ() + ", gender: " + sharks.get(i).getGender());
        }
        
        for(int i = 0; i < theX; i++)
        {
            for(int j = 0; j < theY; j++)
            {
                if(position[i][j] instanceof Shark)
                    System.out.print("Shark ");
                else
                    System.out.print("Ocean ");
            }
            System.out.println();
        }
    }
    
    public void addShark(Shark sharkTemp)
    {
        sharks.add(sharkTemp);
    }
    
    public String getGender() 
    {
        int rnd = rand.nextInt(gender.length);
        return gender[rnd];
    }

[MoZo1]

I guess, you didn't get it. So, a 3D array is not an array of 3D coordinates, but an array that uses 3D coordinates as indexes.

If you create a 3D array, you made a structure like a book of charts: You can look up values with the page, row and column number.
If you write int grid[][][] , then each field of this book will contain a single integer.

If you make an array of 3D coordinates, you've made a structure like a long scroll with only one column, and a lot of rows. If you write point3D grid[] , then each field of this paper will contain a single integer.

Alternatively you can make a 2D array with only 3 columns for the 3 coordinates, but I personally prefer object arrays.