TransparencyInterpolator with Text3D

Newbie & Debugging Questions
#1

Hey guys ! =)

I have got a 3D Text ! when I start my program i want that my text is invisible and then becomes visible (animation) !! i thought I can handle it with a TransparencyInterpolator. I found an example where they have used an Interpolator to make a cube visible but it seems that it wont work with text3d because I have 2errors in my code.

this is what i have:
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BranchGroup branch = new BranchGroup();
			
                        Color3f white = new Color3f(1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);
			Color3f red = new Color3f(1.0f,0f,0f);
			
			Font3D f4d = new Font3D(new Font("Arial", Font.PLAIN, 1),
					new FontExtrusion());
			Text3D text1 = new Text3D(f3d, new String("Haunted House"), new Point3f(0,
					0, 0));
			
			text1.setCapability(TransformGroup.ALLOW_TRANSFORM_WRITE);
			
			text1.setString("Release the ghosts");
			
			Appearance a2 = new Appearance();
			Material m2 = new Material(white, white, white, white, 80.0f);
			m2.setLightingEnable(true);
			a2.setMaterial(m2);
                       

                        text1.setAppearance();                    // this line is wrong              
                        

			
			Shape3D sh1 = new Shape3D();
			sh1.setGeometry(text1);
			sh1.setAppearance(a2);
			TransformGroup tg1 = new TransformGroup();
			
			Transform3D t4d = new Transform3D();
			
			t4d.setScale(0.15);
			Vector3f v4f = new Vector3f(0.03f, -0.6f, -4.6f);
			t4d.setTranslation(v4f);
			t4d.setRotation(new AxisAngle4f(0,1,0,(float)Math.toRadians(-25)));
			
			
			tg1.setTransform(t4d);
			tg1.addChild(sh1);
			branch.addChild(tg1);
			
                        // TransparencyInterpolator
			
                        Alpha objektAlpha = new Alpha(1, 5000);
			BoundingSphere view = new BoundingSphere();
			
			TransparencyAttributes objTransp = new TransparencyAttributes();
			objTransp.setCapability(TransparencyAttributes.ALLOW_VALUE_WRITE);
			
			objTransp.setTransparencyMode(TransparencyAttributes.BLENDED);
			
			TransparencyInterpolator traInt = new TransparencyInterpolator
                    (objektAlpha, objTransp);
			traInt.setSchedulingBounds(view);
			
			Appearance transpAppear = text1.getAppearance();           // and  this line is wrong
			transpAppear.setTransparencyAttributes(objTransp);



			
			
			return branch;

i get this error : The method getAppearance() is undefined for the type Text3D

but why ??? I think i need this lines of code ! =(

can anybody help me with this ?? maybe there is another way ?

ps. sorry for my bad english! im working on it !

cheers, david