'''Java AWT Native Interface''' is an interface for the [[Java programming language]] that enables [[render]]ing [[library (computer science)|libraries]] compiled to [[native code]] to draw directly to a Java [[Abstract Windowing Toolkit]] (AWT) {{Javadoc:SE|java/awt|Canvas}} [[object (computer science)|object]] drawing surface.
The [[Java Native Interface]] (JNI) enabled developers to add platform-dependantdependent functionality to Java [[application software|applications]]. The JNI enables developers to add time-critical operations like mathematical calculations and [[3D rendering]]. Previously, native 3D rendering was a problem because the native code didn't have access to the graphic context. The AWT Native Interface is designed to give developers access to an AWT <code>Canvas</code> for direct drawing by native code. In fact, the [[Java 3D]] API extension to the standard [[Java SE]] [[JDK]] relies heavily on the AWT Native Interface to render 3D objects in Java. The AWT Native Interface is very similar to the JNI, and, the steps are, in fact, the same as those of the JNI. See the [[Java Native Interface]] article for an explanation of the JNI techniques employed by the AWT Native Interface.
The AWT Native Interface was added to the [[Java platform]] with the [[J2SE]] 1.3 ("Kestrel") version.
