ATI Technologies X850 - Radeon Xt Platinum Edition 256 Mb Agp, User Manual

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strong shadows in the background. A “softer” light would be more diffuse
and not cast shadows, such as you would get outdoors on a typical overcast
day.
Mipmapping
The most memory-intensive aspect of 3D graphics are the textures that give
an object its realism (like wood, marble, leather, and cloth). Because
objects in real life become less detailed as they move farther away from the
viewer, 3D programmers simulate this by using less detailed, lower
resolution texture maps on distant objects. These texture maps are merely
scaled down versions of the main texture map used when the object is up
close, and they use less memory.
NTSC
The name for the type of analog television signal used throughout the
Americas (except Brazil) and in Japan. It draws a total of 525 vertical
interlaced frames of video at a refresh rate of 60 Hz, making it relatively
flicker-free. The acronym refers to the National Television Systems
Committee, which devised this color video standard in 1953.
ATI Overdrive
ATI Overdrive maximizes the performance of the GPU by dynamically
altering its speed to an optimal level depending on usage. An on-chip
thermal sensor constantly monitors the temperature of the GPU, allowing
for maximum clock speed to be maintained while avoiding overheating.
Offscreen Memory
An area of memory used to preload images so that they can be quickly
drawn to the screen. Offscreen memory refers to all of the remaining video
memory not taken up by the front buffer, which holds the contents of the
display screen currently visible.