3Dlabs GVX1, User Manual

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Terms and Definitions
Chapter 4 - Glossary 22
Terms and Definitions
AGP
Advanced Graphics Port. A dedicated graphics bus that transfers data at significantly higher
speeds than the PCI bus.
Alpha Blending
This means to create transparent objects by allowing for the blending of pixels to simulate the
transparency characteristics of an object. With alpha information, an object can be designed
from being totally transparent to opaque.
Alpha Buffer
A portion of the frame buffer used to define the transparency value of a pixel in the frame
buffer. This data can be used to blend the frame buffer pixel with the pixel to be drawn to
create a composite pixel.
Anti-Aliasing
A technique employed to remove any jagged edges from an object to appear smooth. This is
accomplished by gradually modifying the hue and saturation of pixels.
API
Application Programming Interface. The API translates the instructions from the application
program into device commands that are specific to the screen’s display controller, the graphics
board.
Atmospheric Effects
The effect derived from adding one or more layers around an object.
Bilinear Sampling
The process whereby texture mapping is done through filtering.
Bit Depth
Bit depth is another way of expressing the numbers of colors available. A color bit depth of 8
is equivalent to 256 colors, a bit depth of 16 (15 bit of color plus a 1 bit overlay) yields 32768
colors, and a bit depth of 32 (24 bit RGB plus 8 bit of overlays) equals 16.7 million colors.
The latter is often referred to as true color.
Clipping
Removal of elements or sections not contained within the active viewing area.
DAC
Digital to Analog Converter.
Depth Cueing
A technique used to give the illusion of depth. With depth cueing, the part of an object that is
farther away is displayed with a lower intensity to give the effect of depth.
Digital Flat Panel Display
A digital, flat-panel display dramatically improves the quality of images viewed on your
screen.