Glossary - Workstation Products - AMD ATI FireMV 2260 User Manual

2D
Acronym for "two dimensional," a term applied to computer graphics that are
"flat." Typical desktop applications such as word processors, spreadsheet
programs, or other programs that manipulate print or simple graphics (such as
pictures or line art) are generally considered to be operating within a 2D
environment, even when they include simple three dimensional elements, such
as buttons.
3D
Acronym for "three dimensional," referring to computer graphics that appear to
have volume and depth. Various modeling processes take the representation of
a three dimensional object provided by the computer program and render it by
using various lighting components, applying textures, and setting layers of
transparency or opacity as required in order to produce a realistic representation
of a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional display.
AGP
The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) is a slot on the computer motherboard
designed specifically for 3D graphics cards. AGP runs 3D images much more
smoothly and quickly than was previously possible with PCI video cards; AGP
runs at several times the bus speed of PCI and employs sideband addressing, so
multiple data transfers between the graphics processor and the computer can
take place concurrently. AGP is currently being phased out in favor of PCI
Express™ (PCIe).
Alpha Blending
Alpha blending is used in 3D graphics to create transparent or opaque effects for
surfaces such as glass and water. Alpha is a transparency value, so the lower the
value, the more transparent the image looks. It is also used in animations to
produce such things as fading effects, where one image gradually fades into
another.
Anisotropic Filtering
A technique that preserves the surface details of an object as it recedes into the
distance by utilizing and blending together the object's texture maps. This makes
3D objects appear more realistic as the detail of their surface texture is retained
in a smooth, seamless fashion on the sections that move or fade away into the
background.
Anti-aliasing
A method that smooths out the jagged edges of a curved object. A black curved
line on a white background displayed on a computer screen will have some
jaggedness along its edges due to the inherent limitations of using discrete pixels
to display the image. Anti-aliasing smooths out this jaggedness by filling in the
white spaces between the jagged edges with varying shades of grey.
Aspect Ratio
The proportions of a display are expressed as a ratio of its width and height.
Common ratios include 4:3 for TVs and CRTs, 5:4 for LCDs, and 16:9 for widescreen
displays.

Glossary - Workstation Products

Appendix A