Glossary

Mudbox
Glossary Mudbox

A
Alpha Channel
A separate channel within a bitmap image that is used to store transparency information for each
pixel.

B
Bake
In rendering, the process of rendering illumination, shadow, shading, or textures to a file texture or
to per-vertex color mesh. Baking lets you extract detail from very high resolution models to produce
a texture map that lets you obtain lighting effects on a lower resolution version that would be difficult
to achieve in other ways.
Base Mesh
The lowest subdivision level on a subdivision surface. You can subdivide to higher subdivision levels
and then return to display the base level.
Bookmark
Lets you save a camera view as a preset in a tray for future use.
Brush
The broad definition for a multi-purpose tool that lets you manipulate the positions of vertices on a
model, or paint color and other material attributes on a projection plane or directly on a model.
Brush Stroke
A mark made by the movement of a brush on the canvas.
Bump Map
A 2D image that simulates 3D surface detail by creating the illusion of bumps or other types of
surface relief using a grayscale image. A bump map does not alter the shape of surfaces to which
it is assigned.

C
Camera
The method for viewing the 3D scene in computer graphics. Cameras represent the scene with
visual perspective or orthographically without perspective. In Mudbox, the camera frames the 3D
View by tracking, tumbling, panning, and zooming.
Component
In polygonal modeling, any of the constituent parts of a polygon (namely, vertices, edges, faces, or
UVs).

Ÿ 2
Glossary Mudbox

Coordinate System
A method by which points are located in space.

D
Depth of Field
A distance range expressed as a near and far distance within which objects will be sharply focused.
Objects outside of this range appear blurred or out of focus.
Dolly
The action of moving the camera toward or away from its center of interest. The scene in the
camera’s view becomes larger or smaller, and the relative size of objects in the scene changes
based on their distance from the camera.

E
Edge
A line joining two adjacent vertices on a polygonal model.
Extraction
The process of copying some feature of a 3D model (sculpting details, ambient occlusion shadows,
and so on) and converting the information so it can be represented using a bitmap image so it can
be subsequently be applied (texture mapped) to the model in a different 3D application or a different
(lower resolution) version of the same model to reproduce the original feature.
Eyedropper
The icon associated with the Color Picker tool for selecting an exact color under the stylus or mouse
cursor.

F
Face
The area bounded by three or more vertices and their associated edges. When many faces are
connected together they create a network of faces called a polygon model (also referred to as a
polyset or a polygonal object).
FBX
(Filmbox = FBX) A file format owned and developed by Autodesk to provide interoperability between
digital content creation applications. FBX plug-ins are available for Autodesk® Maya® and Autodesk®
3ds Max® software. FBX is also supported by Autodesk® MotionBuilder® and Autodesk® Softimage®
using the Autodesk® Crosswalk software

Ÿ 3
Glossary Mudbox

H
Heads-up Display
Instructions or information that appear over the scene that aid in using the features of the software
application.
Highlight
The direct reflection of a light source as seen on the surface of an object. A highlight’s color is based
on the surface material as well as the light source.
Hotkey
A keyboard shortcut that uses a single key, or combination of keys and stylus/mouse buttons, to
provide quick access to a feature or tool in Mudbox. You can customize hotkeys using the Hotkey
Editor.

I
Image Map
A picture file in an image such as jpeg, bmp, tiff, or png that gets using in materials to create specific
effects or patterns. Also known as a texture map.
Image Plane
A 2D object (plane) that enables the placement of an image file into a camera view. Image planes
are used in Mudbox to load 2D images as references for sculpting.

L
Level
Subdivision level. Displays the current polygonal faces for a model at a particular subdivision stage.
Levels range from coarse to fine and are tracked by numbers, 0, 1, 2, and so on.
Limit Surface
A smooth surface shape that a polygonal model approaches as it gets repeatedly subdivided and
smoothed. Limit surfaces are used for calculating the distance between the low and high resolution
surfaces when extracting a texture map.

M
Material
A collection of attributes that describe how a surface appears when it is rendered. Common surface
material attributes include diffuse color, reflectivity, and glossiness.

Ÿ 4
Glossary Mudbox

Mesh
A collection of polygons, which can be of different types (triangles, quads, n-sided). When many faces
are connected together they create a network of faces called a polygon mesh (also referred to as a
polyset or a polygonal object).
Mirror
To flip the sculpt/paint stroke, or layer about a user-defined center axis.
Model
A computer-based description and representation of a three-dimensional object. Models can be
created with modeling software tools, 3D digitizers, etc. Models can be represented by a variety of
geometric algorithms; polygons, non-uniform rational b-splines etc.
MUD
The native file format output by Mudbox. All entities created in Mudbox are stored using this format
with the exception of the bitmap files associated with paint layers which are stored separately in a
-files directory using the file formats specified when you create a paint layer.
Normal
In modeling, the directional line perpendicular to a surface. Surface normals represent the orientation
of each polygon face on a mesh and are used in rendering to determine lighting and shading for each
face. Vertex normals represent the average of the normals of all the faces it connects.

O
OBJ
A file format that represents 3D polygonal geometry. The format includes data describing the position
of each vertex, UV texture coordinate associated with each vertex, the normal at each vertex, and the
faces that make each polygon.
Object Space
The coordinate system from an object’s point of view. The origin of object space is at the object’s pivot
point, and its axes are rotated with the object.
OpenEXR
OpenEXR is a high dynamic range imaging image file format, released as an open standard along
with a set of software tools created by Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), released under a free software
license. Pixel data is stored as 16-bit or 32-bit floating-point numbers.

Ÿ 5
Glossary Mudbox

Orthographic View
A camera view that shows one side of an object or scene (front, side, top, back, and so on) so it
appears projected on a plane without the effect of perspective.
Outline
A circular shape that lets you preview the size of a sculpt tool or paint brush before you make a stroke.

P
Pen
In computer graphics, a writing device used in conjunction with a tablet, also known as a stylus.
PNG
A file format for storing images. An acronym for Portable Network Graphics. Employs lossless data
compression.
Polygon
An n-sided shape defined by a group of ordered vertices and the edges that are defined between pairs
of those vertices. Polygons can be either simple shapes, such as polygonal primitives, or complex
models built from a polygonal modeling application. A polygonal object can be closed, open, or made
up of shells, which are disjointed pieces of geometry
Polygon Count
The number of polygons in the scene.
Primitive
A simple geometric form. Primitives include spheres, cubes, cylinders, cones, and planes.
Projection Map
A technique of projecting a 2D image onto 3D geometry.
PSD
The file format used by the Adobe® Photoshop® application program.

R
Ray Tracing
A rendering technique used to create photorealistic reflections and refractions on reflective surfaces,
and to produce shadows. Ray tracing is a high-quality alternative to reflection mapping, although it
requires longer to compute.
Reflection Map
The simulation from images of background reflections onto reflective surfaces.

Ÿ 6
Glossary Mudbox

RGB
Red, Green, and Blue. A color space most commonly used in computer graphics and component
video, where the three additive color components are mixed to create a color.
Rotation
A transformation that turns (or orients) an object about an axis.

S
Scene
The 3D View as visualized through either the perspective, top, front, or side view cameras.
Screen Projection
The application of paint onto a screen layer as if cinematic film were being projected onto an object.
Paint appears on the object where the projection strikes the surface.
Selection Set
A method for saving a selection preset of a collection of items for quick selection later. Also referred
to as a Quick Select Set in Maya.
Set
A collection of objects.
Shading
A display technique that shows a 3D model as if it were a solid shaded surface.
Shadows
The darkened areas that appear on a surface when an object gets in the path of a light source.
Shadows are cast onto the area of a surface that doesn’t directly receive light.
Smoothing
In polygonal modeling, a modification of the surface topology by smoothing out vertices and their
connected edges.
Specular Highlight
When a bright light reflects off a surface, the hot spot that appears on the surface is the specular
highlight.
Stroke
A mark made on the model by the movement of a sculpt tool or paint brush using the stylus/mouse.
Stylus
A writing device used in conjunction with a tablet, also known as a pen.

Ÿ 7
Glossary Mudbox

S
Tangent
A line or vector that indicates the slope of a curve or polygonal face at a given point.
Texture
An image that is mapped onto a surface that modifies the surface’s color or surface detail.
TIFF
A file format for storing 2D images. An acronym for tagged image file format.
Topology
The relationship and physical interconnection between the polygons on a model. For example, between
faces, edge loops, edges, and vertices.
Track
A camera move that slides the camera view either horizontally or vertically. Also known as a pan.
Transform
To move, rotate, or scale an object.
Translate
To change the position of an object without changing its shape, size, or orientation.
Tumble
To change the position from which the camera views its center of interest by changing the angle of
the camera’s sight line relative to the ground plane. Also referred to as its elevation; the angle of a
camera’s sight line relative to a plane perpendicular to the ground plane is also referred to as its
azimuth.

V
Vertex
A point in 3D space defined by an X, Y, Z location and a vertex normal.
Vertex Normal
A normal associated with a vertex that is used for the calculation of the curvature of the model at that
particular vertex.

Ÿ 8
Glossary Mudbox

W
Wireframe
A display technique that shows a geometric object via its edges with no shading. In Mudbox, both
shading and wireframe are displayed simultaneously in Wireframe display mode.
World Space
The coordinate system for the entire scene. Its origin is at the center of the scene.

Ÿ 9