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An Application Programming Interface (API) is a library of
routines, functions and objects for writing a program that
supports a particular type of hardware or operating system. An
API may also provide a Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL),
that is an interface to various hardware devices. Generic API's
such as OpenGL and Direct3D, support multiple 3D
accelerators, while proprietary API's, support only a specific
3D chipset. This proprietary API's can offer a better
performance for the specified chipset than the generic API's as
it has been specially developed for it.
Back Buffer
Buffer used to render the next image to be displayed. When the
image is created in the back buffer, the front and back buffers
are swapped. In this way, the rendering process is hidden to
the user. This causes an appearance of smooth animation.
Bit
The smallest unit of information in a digital memory ( A one or
a zero).
Bitmap
An image composed of pixels of a specified color. A bitmap
can be any resolution with any number of colors. The most
common formats are PICT and TIFF.
Buffer
An area of digital storage used to hold data awaiting further
processing.
Bump Map
A bump map is a method of creating the appearance of texture
or relief on a surface without modifying the underlying
geometry of the model. A bitmap image or a procedural map
generated by the 3-D application is applied (mapped) to the
surface of the object. The grayscale value of the bitmap at
every pixel is interpreted at every corresponding
pixel on the rendered surface of the object. Lighter pixels on
the bitmap are interpreted to increase the impression of relief,
Summary of Contents for 3DForceS-128
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