1.1 Enhanced Graphics, Text, and Imaging

Early versions of the AWT provided a simple rendering package suitable for rendering common HTML pages, but not full-featured enough for complex graphics, text, or imaging. As a simplified rendering package, the early AWT embodied specific cases of more general rendering concepts. The Java 2D API provides a more flexible, full-featured rendering package by expanding the AWT to support more general graphics and rendering operations.

For example, through the Graphics class you can draw rectangles, ovals, and polygons. Graphics2D enhances the concept of geometric rendering by providing a mechanism for rendering virtually any geometric shape. Similarly, with the Java 2D API you can draw styled lines of any width and fill geometric shapes with virtually any texture.

Geometric shapes are provided through implementations of the Shape interface, for example Rectangle2D and Ellipse2D. Curves and arcs are also specific implementations of Shape.

Fill and pen styles are provided through implementations of the Paint and Stroke interfaces, for example BasicStroke, GradientPaint, TexturePaint, and Color.

AffineTransform defines linear transformations of 2D coordinates, including scale, translate, rotate, and shear.

Clip regions are defined by the same implementations of the Shape interface that are used to define general clipping regions, for example Rectangle2D and GeneralPath.

Color composition is provided by implementations of the Composite interface, for example AlphaComposite.

A Font is defined by collections of Glyphs, which are in turn defined by individual Shapes.