This page gathers the 256 dictionary entries belonging to the domain “Computer graphics”, as labelled by Wiktionary. Each word leads to its full entry: definitions, etymology, pronunciation, examples. Page 2 of 3: from “instance” to “softmask”.
- instance verb To render (an object) as part of a batch, using the same geometry data.
- jaggies noun Jagged artifacts in raster graphics, such as those caused by resizing a bitmap image without preserving its aspect ratio.
- JPEG noun An image using the JFIF image file format, containing an image compressed using JPEG compression.
- key noun A color to be masked or made transparent.
- keyframe noun A complete video frame, used as a reference for subsequent interframes in video compression.
- large-scale adj Of a map or image, drawn large so as to show detail.
- lathe verb To produce a three-dimensional model by rotating a set of points around a fixed axis.
- layer noun One in a stack of (initially transparent) drawing surfaces that comprise an image; used to keep elements of an image separate so that they…
- light probe noun A designated location, within the empty space of a scene, where light is measured for use in later rendering.
- light profile noun Data that describes the manner in which a light source behaves, and the type of shadows that are cast.
- look development noun The process of defining the final appearance of three-dimensional assets using shaders, textures, and lighting, especially as a cohesive…
- macroblocking noun A visual artifact in compressed video etc. where similar adjacent pixels appear as a contiguous block of colour.
- manifold noun A polygon mesh representing the continuous, closed surface of a solid object
- marching cubes noun An algorithm for extracting a polygonal mesh of an isosurface from a three-dimensional scalar field.
- mask noun A two-color (black and white) bitmap generated from an image, used to create transparency in the image.
- match moving noun A technique that allows the insertion of computer graphics into live-action footage with correct position, scale, orientation, and motion…
- mesh noun A polygon mesh.
- meshable adj Capable of being converted to a polygon mesh.
- metaball noun An n-dimensional object with an organic appearance, characterised by the ability to meld into others when in close proximity.
- metasurface noun A generalization of the metaball, not necessarily spherical.
- Metropolis light transport noun The application of a variant of the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm to the rendering equation for generating images from detailed physical…
- microtexture noun A small-scale texture used to produce fine detail.
- mipmap noun A precalculated, optimised collection of images accompanying a main texture, used to increase rendering speed and reduce aliasing artifacts.
- Mitchell-Netravali filter noun Any of a group of bicubic reconstruction filters often used for antialiasing or for scaling raster graphics.
- mixed raster content noun An image that has been stored as multiple layers under different types of compression, typically a bitonal text and line-art layer, a…
- morph verb To change shape, from one form to another, through computer animation.
- morpher noun A program or algorithm that carries out morphing animations.
- MPEG noun Any of a group of computer file formats for the compression and storage of digital video and audio data.
- multiline noun A polyline.
- multipoint noun A collection of points treated as a single object.
- multisample verb To perform multisampling.
- multisurface noun A collection of surfaces treated as a single object.
- multitexture adj Of or relating to multiple textures.
- nonmanifold adj Not representing a continuous, closed surface (i.e. of a solid object)
- nonprimitive noun An object that is not a primitive.
- occlusion noun The blocking of the view of part of an image by another.
- outcode noun A code used in the Cohen-Sutherland algorithm, indicating how a line should be clipped relative to the viewport.
- overdraw noun The process by which, during the rendering of a three-dimensional scene, a pixel is replaced by one that is closer to the viewpoint, as…
- overpaint verb To erase by drawing graphics over the top.
- paint bucket noun A tool in some graphics editor applications that fills in a portion of the image with a certain color or pattern.
- palette swap verb To change the color palette used to render a palettized image.
- palettize verb To encode (an image) efficiently by mapping its pixels to a palette containing only those colours that are actually present in the image.
- path tracing noun A Monte Carlo method of rendering images of three-dimensional scenes such that the global illumination is faithful to reality.
- Perlin noise noun Random-looking visual noise generated by a function, widely used in computer graphics to simulate effects such as fire and clouds.
- PEX noun PHIGS Extension to X: an early Unix 3D graphics API.
- Phong lighting noun A technique for the local illumination of points on a surface, approximating the way that light is reflected in reality.
- Phong shading noun A technique for shading three-dimensional surfaces by interpolating surface normals across rasterized polygons and computing pixel colors…
- photobash verb To compose a digital image from multiple assets, such as photos and 3D models, with artistic interpretation to modify and blend them…
- photon mapping noun A two-pass global illumination rendering algorithm that approximately solves the rendering equation for integrating light radiance at a…
- physically based animation noun An animation technique focusing on creating physically accurate visual effects, such as particles.
- pixel art noun A style of digital art drawn at the pixel level, sometimes having the pixels enlarged for a retro appearance.
- pixmap noun A grid of pixels; a bitmap, especially one having more than one bit (binary digit) assigned to each pixel, allowing for multiple shades or…
- plasma noun A visual effect in which cycles of changing colours are warped in various ways to give the illusion of liquid organic movement.
- playblast noun A low-resolution crude render of computer-generated imagery used in CGI production as a check for character and prop positioning and…
- pointel noun Any of the eight vertices of a voxel.
- poly noun A polygon.
- polyfill noun An algorithm to fill a polygon with a particular color.
- polygon soup noun An arbitrary collection of polygons with no particular distinguishing traits, thus possibly difficult to decompose for rendering.
- polypaint noun A feature allowing the user to "paint" color directly onto the polygons of a three-dimensional model without first creating a texture map.
- pop in noun A performance issue in three-dimensional graphics, causing objects or textures to "pop" suddenly into view as they are loaded, rather than…
- portal noun A connecting window between volumes, in portal rendering.
- portal rendering noun An algorithm for determining the visibility of objects in a three-dimensional world, based on partitioning the space into polygonal…
- preshift noun A shift performed in advance.
- prewarm verb To initialize with the illusion of prior activity.
- prewarmed adj Initialized with the illusion of prior activity.
- push-scrolling noun A form of scrolling that is triggered whenever the user's text cursor, player character, etc. approaches the border of the screen, so as to…
- quad noun A quadrilateral.
- quadball noun A rounded cube used to approximate a sphere.
- radiosity noun A three-dimensional rendering system that simulates all reflections from objects in the scene.
- ragdoll noun A model consisting of a set of connected rigid bodies that can collapse in a loose, natural manner.
- ragdoll physics noun Physics based around ragdolls (models consisting of a set of connected rigid bodies that can collapse in a loose, natural manner).
- raster noun A bitmap image, consisting of a grid of pixels, stored as a sequence of lines.
- ray marching noun An advanced form of ray tracing in which the imaginary light rays are not merely computed where they intersect with solid parts of the…
- ray tracing noun A technique that produces realistically shaded images by projecting imaginary light rays to determine which parts of an object should be…
- reflection mapping noun A technique for approximating the reflections of the surrounding environment on complex surfaces, by storing a full 360-degree view of the…
- relight verb To render again with different simulated lighting conditions.
- relightable adj Capable of being rendered again with different simulated lighting conditions.
- render noun A digital image produced by rendering a model.
- renderable noun Any object that can be rendered to the display.
- renderer noun A software or hardware process that generates a visual image from a model.
- rendering noun The process of producing an image from an internal model, or the image thus produced.
- reslice verb To calculate from the pixels in the original 3D data that are closest to a particular plane.
- resliced adj calculated from the pixels in the original 3D data that are closest to a particular plane
- retained mode noun A mode in which the application updates a set of graphical objects which are stored and displayed by the graphics library, contrasting with…
- ROP noun A Render Output unit or raster operations pipeline.
- sample verb To make or show something similar to a sample.
- scanout noun The conversion of image data in computer memory to a series of lines for output to a raster display.
- scroll noun The incremental movement of graphics on a screen, removing one portion to show the next.
- sculpt noun A modification that can be applied to an object, like a texture, but changes the object's shape rather than its appearance.
- seam carving noun A technique for resizing images so as to preserve the main contents by selectively removing less important regions, as defined by "seams"…
- shadebob noun A type of bob (graphical sprite-like element) rendered additively on the display, so that it blends with others but can be easily removed…
- shader noun A set of software instructions used to calculate rendering effects on graphics hardware.
- shadow acne noun An undesirable striped or moiré appearance in shadow mapping, resulting from the use of a relatively low-resolution shadow map.
- shadow mapping noun A process by which shadows are added to 3D computer graphics, based on whether individual pixels are visible from a light source.
- shadow volume noun The spatial volume resulting from the projection of a ray from a light source through each vertex of a shadow-casting object to some point…
- shadowcasting noun The generation of shadows from a three-dimensional model.
- skybox noun A cube with textures on its inner faces, used to simulate the sky or similar backdrop around a three-dimensional playfield.
- skydome noun A sphere or hemisphere with a texture on its inner face, used to simulate the sky or similar backdrop around a three-dimensional playfield.
- skysphere noun A sphere with a texture on its inner face, used to simulate the sky or similar backdrop around a three-dimensional playfield; a skydome.
- softmask verb To convert hard edges in an image to soft ones, by the use of a "fuzzy" mask.