Glossary

Glossary

Align specified parameters. In Pixels, objects are aligned with their center points.

Bevel The detailing of small angles where edges meet to soften and appearance of the model. Bevels are also used to catch and reflect light.

Bezier spline Defines a curved surface by interpolating the first and last control points along with the inner two points governing the curve's direction.

Bias The symmetry of the spline near a control point. A very biased curve will be flatter on one side than the other.

Clipboard A temporary storage area on the computer to hold the last item that was cut or copied from the model. The Clipboard is a standard feature on all Macintosh computers.

COI Center of Interest. A point in 3D space which the camera looks at.

Control points Points on the surface of the object that determine the underlying geometry of the object. The curve of a spline is determined by four or more control points.

Default Commonly preferred options set at program startup. Defaults may be manually changed.

Displacement Map The gray level information of any PICT image applied to an object to deform its geometry.

DXF Drawing Exchange Format, a file format widely-used for architectural drawings and other polygonal primitives.

Export Saving files in a different format for use with other software applications.

Extrude The modeling process of pulling 2-D outlines or profiles into 3-D shapes.

Freeform Unique shapes that can be designed from drawn 2-D outlines.

Gouraud shading Rendering technique which varies brightness across each surface polygon to produce a smooth appearance.

Grid The horizontal and vertical lines in the background that help place the model in a perspective setting. The grid does not print.