Model Fix Terminology

Refers to the optical properties of a 3D object's surface, such as color, shininess, etc. You can use multiple materials on a single 3D model to, for example, add visual properties to different parts of the model (Bump/Gloss/Texture/Transparency/Color etc). Materials have a varying number of properties depending on the rendering mode they support and other parameters.

A texture is an image that will be applied to the surface of 3D object to give it detail, as part of a material. Textures may be either photographic images or procedural textures, and may be applied in each of the material channels of an object using a variety of mapping or projection methods.

Model geometry, aka Mesh, is the actual vertex data that results in a visible 3D object. It refers to a 3D object that consists of triangular polygons.

Is a flat geometric shape, a proverbial “brick” of any 3D model. Polygons, part of model geometry, are a collection of vertices (points in space), edges (self-explanatory), and faces (surfaces consisting of three or more edges) that determine the shape of an object in 3D modeling and computer graphics. Vertices (points in space), are connected using line segments to form a polygon mesh. Poly count refers to the number of polygons in a 3D model's mesh.

Stands for Non-Uniform Rational Basis Spline. A NURBS model, part of model geometry, is a mathematical modeling type commonly used to generate curves and surfaces. The main advantages of this modeling technique are the great flexibility and precision you have in generating your shapes.

Often shortened to AO. Creates the appearance of dark crevices and corners in a mesh by occluding ambient light. Can be used in a texture format, or created dynamically.

Bump mapping simulates bumps and wrinkles on an object's surface by unsettling the surface normals of the object and using the unsettled normal during lighting calculations. Bump mapping gives material the illusion of bumps / depth without changing its shape. These protrusions and cavities create a 3D effect. Weak bump mapping can make a surface look too smooth, strong bump mapping can make it look too rough. Different materials need different levels of bump mapping.

Normal maps are a type of Bump Map. They are a special kind of texture that allow you to add surface detail such as bumps, grooves, and scratches to a model which catch the light as if they are represented by real geometry. Normal mapping is a texture mapping technique used for faking the lighting of bumps and dents. It is used to add details without using more polygons.

Displacement mapping causes an effect where the actual geometric position of points over the textured surface are displaced. Displacement mapping adjusts the shape of a 3D model. Displacement mapping also gives surfaces a great sense of depth and detail.

Texture mapping is the process of placing a 2D image on polygons in order to simulate certain material. Texture mapping is like applying paint, wallpaper, or veneer to a real object. It simply refers to the process whereby a 2D texture map surface is placed around a 3D object to simulate certain material. Therefore, the 3D object acquires a similar surface to that of the 2D object.

UV mapping is the 3D modeling process of projecting a 2D image to a 3D model's surface for texture mapping. A UV map is the flat representation of the surface of a 3D model used to easily wrap textures. The process of creating a UV map is called UV unwrapping. The U and V refer to the horizontal and vertical axes of the 2D space, as X, Y and Z are already being used in the 3D space.