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3D CGI Terminology A-Z

All the terms you need to know

Daunted by depth channels? Confused by caustics? Perplexed by particles and primitives? 

This handy video glossary, presented by CGI expert Ethan Davis, introduces you to the 58 key terms you need to know to succeed with CGI. 

By the time you’ve worked through this accessible guide, you’ll know your vertices from your volumetrics, your N-gones from your normals, and your photogrammetry from your Phong!

3D CGI Terminology A–Z
3D CGI Terminology A–Z
Alpha Channels
Alpha Channels
Ambient Occlusion
Ambient Occlusion
Anti-aliasing
Anti-aliasing
Axis
Axis
Baking
Baking
Bitmap
Bitmap
Bump Map
Bump Map
CAD
CAD
Camera
Camera
Caustics
Caustics
CGI
CGI
Compositing
Compositing
Depth Channel
Depth Channel
Displacement
Displacement
Dynamics
Dynamics
Emission
Emission
Float Value
Float Value
Frames Per Second
Frames Per Second
Geometry
Geometry
Hardware Rendering
Hardware Rendering
HDRIs
HDRIs
Index of Refraction
Index of Refraction
Keyframe
Keyframe
Modelling
Modelling
MoGraph
MoGraph
N-gons
N-gons
Node
Node
Normal Map
Normal Map
Normals
Normals
Parametric
Parametric
Parenting
Parenting
Particles
Particles
Phong
Phong
Photogrammetry
Photogrammetry
Physically Based Rendering
Physically Based Rendering
Polygon
Polygon
Primitive
Primitive
Procedural
Procedural
Ray Tracing
Ray Tracing
Render
Render
Render Engine
Render Engine
Render Farm
Render Farm
Rigging
Rigging
Roughness
Roughness
Samples
Samples
Sculpting
Sculpting
Shader
Shader
Spline
Spline
Stereoscopic
Stereoscopic
Subdivision
Subdivision
Subsurface Scattering
Subsurface Scattering
Texture Mapping
Texture Mapping
UV Map
UV Map
Vertex
Vertex
Viewport
Viewport
Viewport Shading
Viewport Shading
Volumetrics
Volumetrics
Wireframe
Wireframe

Related Content

3D CGI Terminology A-Z
3D CGI Terminology A-Z
Blender 3D Basics
Blender 3D Basics
Blender 3D: Product CGI
Blender 3D: Product CGI
Photography vs Blender Shootouts
Photography vs Blender Shootouts
3D Modeling With Cinema 4D
3D Modeling With Cinema 4D

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Visual Education, curated by Karl Taylor

Education

  • Multi user licensing
  • How to use our photography courses
  • Live photography shows
  • Learning paths & weekly challenges
  • Meet the team
  • Blog

Help

  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy policy
  • Frequently asked questions
  • About Visual Education
  • Contact
  • Pricing plans

Members

  • My Account
  • Member benefits and discounts
  • Photography competitions
  • Pause Subscription
  • Cancel
  • Customer testimonials

Visual Education, Unit 11, Les Caches Business Park, Guernsey, GY4 6PH, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1481 233222 

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Visual Education, Unit 11, Les Caches Business Park, Guernsey, GY4 6PH, UK - Tel +44 (0)1481 233222

All website content © Copyright Visual Education

Classes
  • Photography
    • ← Back
    • Photography Essentials
      • ← Back
      • All Photography Essentials Classes
      • FREE Introduction to Photography
      • Travel Photography
      • Landscape Photography
      • Creative Photography Techniques
      • Photography Equipment
      • Compact Camera Photography
    • Photography Lighting
      • ← Back
      • All Lighting Classes
      • Lighting Theory and Equipment
      • Using Lighting Modifiers
      • Lighting Comparison Visualiser
    • Portrait Photography
      • ← Back
      • All Portrait Classes
      • Natural-Light Portraits
      • One-Light Portraits
      • Two-Light Portraits
      • Three-Light Portraits
      • Four-Light Portraits
      • Creative Portraits
      • Business Portraits
      • Environmental Portraits
    • Fashion Photography
      • ← Back
      • All Fashion Classes
      • Introduction to Fashion Photography
      • Studio Fashion Photography
      • On-Location Fashion Photography
      • Beauty Photography
      • Fashionscape
      • Fashion Extras
    • Food Photography
      • ← Back
      • All Food Photography and Styling Classes
      • Food Photography and Styling
      • Still Life Photography
      • Photography Briefs
    • Product Photography
      • ← Back
      • All Product Photography Classes
      • Introduction to Product Photography
      • Bottle and Beverage Photography
      • Food Photography and Styling
      • Liquid and Splash Photography
      • Still Life Photography
      • Cosmetics Photography
      • Jewellery Photography
      • Packshot Photography
      • Electronics Photography
      • Automotive Photography
      • Sports Equipment Photography
      • Flat Lay Photography
      • Accessories Photography
  • Post-Production
    • ← Back
    • All Post-Production Classes
    • Photoshop For Photographers
    • Photoshop Tools and Techniques
    • Advanced Photoshop for Photographers
    • Fashion and Beauty Post-Production
    • Product Post-Production
    • Compositing Using Photoshop
    • Frequency Separation
    • Lightroom CC for Photographers
    • Photoshop Retouching with CS
    • Post-Production Extras
  • 3D CGI
    • ← Back
    • All 3D CGI Classes
    • 3D CGI Terminology A-Z
    • Blender 3D Basics
    • Blender 3D: Product CGI
    • Photography vs Blender 3D Shootouts
    • Introduction Cinema 4D
  • Filmmaking
    • ← Back
    • All Filmmaking Classes
    • Introduction to Filmmaking
    • Filmmaking Methods
    • Advanced Filmmaking
    • Professional Filmmakers
  • Makeup Artistry
    • ← Back
    • All Makeup Artistry Classes
    • Makeup Artistry Fundamentals
    • Makeup Artistry Masterclasses
  • Business
    • ← Back
    • All Business Classes
    • Your Photography Business
    • Photography Marketing
    • Contracts and Legal
    • Planning and Workflow
    • Professional Insights
  • Live Workshops
    • ← Back
    • Upcoming Live Workshops
    • Live Photoshoots
    • Live Special Guests
    • Live Photo Critiques
    • Live Working to a Brief
Projects
  • Weekly Challenge
  • Photography Briefs
  • Competitions
  • Get Certified With LEVELS
  • Members Discounts
  • Downloads
  • About Us
  • Meet the team
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Login
  • Login