Ambient Light - The diffuse light which provides uniform illumination over all surfaces of an object. It essentially controls the brightness of an image.
Background Task - An activity performed by a program which is not the active program. All programs must share the CPU by allowing background tasks.
CAD - Computer Aided Design, or Computer Assisted Design.
Click - The action of placing the mouse pointer over an object, then pressing and releasing the mouse button.
Clipboard - The place where text/graphics go when you copy or cut. It is also the place where text/graphics come from when you paste.
CodeWarrior - The software development environment used to design, create, and test RenderBoy.
CPU - The central processing unit (brain) of the computer.
Design Document - The file which contains the description of the objects which make up your three dimensional world within RenderBoy.
Design Window - The window in which you can view and manipulate your design document.
Diffuse - Multidirectional, widely dispersed, or random.
Directed Light - Light which travels in one uniform direction. It allows us to see the contours of a surface since it causes non-uniform illumination.
Double Click - The action of quickly clicking the mouse button twice.
Drag - The action of moving the mouse pointer over an object, holding the mouse button down, moving the mouse pointer (and the object) to a new location, then releasing the button. This is often referred to as "dragging" the object.
Front View - The lower left view in the default design window.
Grid Snap Size - When objects are moved, they will be moved by whole number multiples of this amount. Alternatively, objects can be snapped to absolute locations which are whole number multiples of the grid snap size. The grid snap feature is used to simplify alignment.
Height Angle - This angle (degrees) specifies a vertical orientation relative to the front view in the design window. Along with the "rotation angle", it defines an exact direction.
Icon - A small picture which represents a disk, file, tool, etc.
Isometric View - The upper right view in the default design window.
Image Document - The file which contains the description of an image which was rendered within RenderBoy. RenderBoy stores its images as standard PICT files.
Image Window - The window in which you can view a newly rendered image or an existing Image Document.
Object - A three dimensional solid sphere, tube, cone, light, etc within RenderBoy.
Orthogonal Views - The front, side, and top views of a design. They are called orthogonal because the directions of the three views are perpendicular to each other.
Orthographic Projection - The condition in which a set of orthogonal views are horizontally and vertically aligned with each other. RenderBoy maintains an orthographic projection within the design window.
MooVer - A great little shareware utility by ESP Software which can convert a series of PICT files (like those created by RenderBoy) and convert them to a Quicktime Movie. There is a link to the MooVer web site from my RenderBoy web site.
Normal Reflection - The bouncing of light off a flat surface, as on a mirror.
Pascal - The programming langauge that RenderBoy is written in.
PICT File - A Macintosh standard file type used for storing graphics. In RenderBoy, the image and texture documents are stored as PICT files.
Ray Tracing - A mathematical technique which involves tracing theoretical rays of light within a mathematically defined world. RenderBoy uses this technique to render images.
Render - To create an image or representation of something, much like a painting. RenderBoy uses a method called ray-tracing to create rendered images.
Refraction - The bending of light as it crosses a boundary, such as the boundary between air and a crystalline object. The amount that the light bends depends on the materials on both sides of the boundary.
Rotation Angle - This angle (degrees) specifies a horizontal orientation relative to the front view in the design window. Along with the "height angle", it defines an exact direction.
QuickTime - A standard format developed by Apple for storing and viewing animations/movies on a computer.
Side View - The lower right view in the default design window.
Spectral Reflections - The glinty spots which are caused by the partial reflection of light source objects.
Top View - The upper left view in the default design window.
View - A two dimensional representation of one or more three dimensional objects as seen from a specific location.
