3D Spectacular (CU Amiga December 1994)

Bust that Jargon
Polygons
Two dimensional structures with any number of sides. These are linked together in three dimensions to make oobjects.

Splines
Mathematical models capable of simulating almost any smooth curve.

B-Splines
Splines in 3 dimensions, allowing for incredibly smooth, non-faceted surfaces.

Phong Shading
A method of making polygons look rounded. The shading of the polygon depends upon surrounding polygons’ orientation.

CSG
Constructive Solid Geometry. Instead of polygons, structures are made from solid structures. This allows true Boolean operations without having to have a mass of polygons.

Particle System
Each object is treated as a particle and can be given a velocity, acceleration and other attributes. Set the system going and watch the collisions happen as they would do in real life (in theory, at least!).

Motion Blur
To compensate for an animation with not many frames per second, motion blur literally blurs the individual frames giving the effect of a smoother animation.

Lens Flare
When a camera lens looks at a light source, artefacts sometimes invade the picture such as reflections from internal lenses and more. It’s something people have been trying to avoid for years…

Depth of Field
Next time a photograph you take is out of focus, tell people it’s a depth of field effect and tell them off for being so stupid. Depth of field makes things in the distance blurred and out of sharp focus for more realistic images.

Boolean Operations
A system of joining two or more objects together. Using these operations, windows can be cut in things, apple cores created and much more. Real’s boolean operations are superb, Lightwave’s are satisfactory. Imagine’s almost work.