3dlabs Permedia3 User Manual download pdf (Page 30)

Terms and Definitions

23 3Dlabs Permedia3 Create! User’s Guide

Te r m s a n d D e f i n i t i o n s

AGP

Advanced Graphics Port. A dedicated graphics bus that transfers data at significantly higher

speeds than the PCI bus.

Alpha Blending

This means to create transparent objects by allowing for the blending of pixels to simulate the

transparency characteristics of an object. With alpha information, an object can be designed

from being totally transparent to opaque.

Alpha Buffer

A portion of the frame buffer used to define the transparency value of a pixel in the frame

buffer. This data can be used to blend the frame buffer pixel with the pixel to be drawn to

create a composite pixel.

Anti-Aliasing

A technique employed to remove any jagged edges from an object to appear smooth. This is

accomplished by gradually modifying the hue and saturation of pixels.

API

Application Programming Interface. The API translates the instructions from the application

program into device commands that are specific to the screen’s display controller, the graphics

board.

Atmospheric Effects

The effect derived from adding one or more layers around an object.

Bilinear Sampling

The process whereby texture mapping is done through filtering.

Bit Depth

Bit depth is another way of expressing the numbers of colors available. A color bit depth of 8

is equivalent to 256 colors, a bit depth of 16 (15 bit of color plus a 1 bit overlay) yields 32768

colors, and a bit depth of 32 (24 bit RGB plus 8 bit of overlays) equals 16.7 million colors.

The latter is often referred to as true color.

Clipping

Removal of elements or sections not contained within the active viewing area.

DAC

Digital to Analog Converter.

Depth Cueing

A technique used to give the illusion of depth. With depth cueing, the part of an object that is

farther away is displayed with a lower intensity to give the effect of depth.

Digital Flat Panel Display

A digital, flat-panel display dramatically improves the quality of images viewed on your

screen.

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3dlabs Permedia3 User Manual Page 30