code: public int getAttributeAsInt(int semantics, int ordinate) {
  		if (isEmptyImpl())
  			throw new GeometryException(
  					"This operation was performed on an Empty Geometry.");
  
  		int ncomps = VertexDescription.getComponentCount(semantics);
  		if (ordinate >= ncomps)
  			throw new IndexOutOfBoundsException();
  
  		int attributeIndex = m_description.getAttributeIndex(semantics);
  		if (attributeIndex >= 0)
  			return (int) m_attributes[m_description
  					._getPointAttributeOffset(attributeIndex) + ordinate];
  		else
  			return (int) VertexDescription.getDefaultValue(semantics);
  	}
docs: Returns value of the given vertex attribute's ordinate. The ordinate is
  always 0 because integer attributes always have one component.
  
  @param semantics
  The attribute semantics.
  @param ordinate
  The attribute's ordinate. For example, the y coordinate of the
  NORMAL has ordinate of 1.
  @return The ordinate value truncated to a 32 bit integer value.