Terminology

A graphical representation of the amplitude or intensity of a wave over time. Waveforms are commonly used for audio visualization, procedural animations, and waveform-driven effects.

The distance between consecutive peaks or troughs of a wave. Wavelength is a property of light and is important for color perception and light-based effects.

A visual representation of a 3D object or scene using only lines or edges, without filled polygons or textures, Wireframe views are commonly used for debugging, modeling, and showcasing the underlying geometry.

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The coordinate system that represents the global or absolute position and orientation of objects. World space is used to define the relationship between objects and the overall game world.

A texture sampling mode that determines how UV coordinates outside the texture’s range are handled. Wrap modes include options like repeat, clamp, mirror, and border, affecting how textures are tiled or stretched.

Wrinkle maps are commonly used in facial animation or cloth simulation to add realism to deformations.

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The horizontal axis in a 3D coordinate system. In game , the X-axis is typically used to represent the left-to-right or side-to-side direction in a game world. It is one of the primary axes used for positioning and transforming objects and effects.

Referring to the Xbox gaming platform developed by Microsoft. While not directly related to VFX, the Xbox platform is commonly used for game development and may involve VFX implementation for visual enhancements on the console.

The vertical axis in a 2D or 3D coordinate system. It represents the vertical direction in a game world and is often used for positioning, scaling, or animating objects along the vertical axis.

The depth or forward/backward axis in a 3D coordinate system. It represents the depth or distance from the viewer’s perspective and is used for positioning, scaling, or animating objects in the game world.

A buffer or image that stores depth information for each pixel in a rendered scene. The Z-buffer is used to determine the visibility and occlusion of objects in the scene, enabling correct rendering of objects based on their depth values.

A visual artifact that occurs when two or more polygons or surfaces in a 3D scene share the same depth value, causing flickering or shimmering when rendered. Z-fighting can be minimized by adjusting the depth precision, using techniques like depth bias or using other rendering approaches.

A markup language commonly used for structuring and organizing data in game development, including information such as configuration files, asset descriptions, or scene layouts.

A signed distance field is a method of representing shapes where each pixel or voxel stores the signed distance to the nearest surface, used for efficient rendering and manipulation of complex geometries.

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