3D FILE FORMATS:
AMF- Common file type for 3D printing. Includes scale information. See also STL.
FBX- Used for film, gaming, VFX, motion capture. Versatile file format; 3D object+animation data.
GLTF- 3D file type. Small files. Optimized for web. Used for models, scenes AR.
GLB- See GLTF
GoZ- File format specific to ZBrush that links it to other 3D programs
OBJ- Most common 3D file type. Basic, less detail, large file size.
PLY- 3D file type used in 3D scanners. Stores colour and texture.
MA- 3D project file created with Maya application
MESH- 3D file type used for visualizing scientific models
MESHB- See MESH
MUD- 3D project file created with Mudbox application
NOM- 3D project file created with Nomad Sculpt application
STL- Most common for 3D printing. Lacks color and scale information. See also AMF.
STP- 3D file type used for architectural modelling.
STEP- See STP
USD -3D file type. Used for CGI film, 3D modelling, AR. Flexible, efficient format.
USDZ- See USD (The ‘z’ refers to ‘zipped’)
IMAGE FILE FORMATS:
BMP- Windows Bitmap: compressed raster file type. Used for storing/displaying high quality digital images. Large file size.
EXR- Pro grade deep rastor image type used in film, animation, visual effects. Lossless compression.
GIF- Bitmap image file type. Lossless file type. Good for small web graphics or short animation loops.
HDR- High dynamic range (detail in shadows and highlights) raster image file type use in digital cameras
HEIC- Image file format used on mobile phones. HEIC files easily convert to JPEG>
JPG- See JPEG
JPEG- Lossy digital image file type. Quality decreases with smaller file size. Best choice for online images.
PDF- Word processing document but also used for converting images, compressing file sizes.
PNG- Raster image file, supports lossless data compression and alpha channel (transparency). Replaced GIF.
PSD- Photoshop document file
TIF- See TIFF
TIFF- Raster image file type. Supports lossy and lossless compression. Best for high-resolution printing.
3D SCANNING TERMINOLOGY
3D Gaussian Splat (3DGS)- Rasterization technique for real-time 3D reconstruction and rendering of images from multiple points of view. Uses gaussians instead of polygons.
AR view- Augmented reality view
Featureless Object- Scanning mode used to optimize scans of monochrome objects, or objects with limited surface detail.
High-Poly- refers to the number of polygons in model = high detail, large file size
LiDAR- “Light Detection and Ranging.” A remote sensing system that uses light rays and lasers to scan objects.
Low-Poly- refers to the number of polygons in model = low detail, small file size
PBR material- Physics-based rendering material
Photogrammetry- Photographs are used as the basis for creating 3D models
Point cloud- A set of data points in space that represent a 3D shape or object.
3D MODELING TERMINOLOGY
Bump Map- Creates the illusion of depth on a 3D model by manipulating the lighting calculation of the object’s surface (a greyscale image calculation is imposed) rather than moving vertex points as in displacement maps. Can be limiting if object or perspective shifts as light rendering does not actively respond to environment
Decimation- Reducing the overall size of a model by reducing the number of vertex points in the mesh
Displacement Map- A texturing process that displaces vertex points to create depth/relief: when applied vertex points are physically moved unlike normal and bump maps which only create the illusion of depth
Dyntopo- A process that adds vertex points (vertices) to a mesh in the area where one is actively sculpting to allow for more detail
Edges- The line or edge of a face in a mesh that are created when two vertex points are connected.
Faces- Model mesh is comprised of ‘flat faces’ formed by 3 (tris) or 4 (quads) vertices or points
Image mapping- The process of adding an image texture onto a mesh. This often involves UV unwrapping the mesh (the process of flattening the mesh of a 3D object) and fitting/mapping/aligning this flat mesh to a jpg or png
Material- This is what defines the optical properties of a 3D object such as texture, colour, roughness/shininess, emission (transparency), transmission (glow), etc. This can be defined by an algorithm or a procedural texture, or by an image otherwise simply known as a “texture” that is mapped to the surface of the object (as in image mapping). Normal and bump maps can also influence the look of the depth and texture of an object’s material.
Mesh- The framework or skeleton of a 3D object consisting of vertex points, edges and faces generally made out of tris (three connected vertex points) or quads (four connected vertex points).
Normal Map- Creates the illusion of depth on a 3D model by using an RGB scale to derive 3D vector normals, tricking the rendered light to create highlights and shadows on surfaces. Objects mathematically respond to changes in 3D environment
Point cloud- A collection of data points in a 3D environment that describe the location of elements of or objects in the space by mapping their surfaces. Point clouds can be generated/measured using LiDAR, photogrammetry, laser scanning or other 3D scanning technologies.
Quadrangles (quads)- Basic mesh unit that has four connected vertex points, four edges or a four-sided face. Mesh faces that have four points.
Retopology- The process of changing the position and structure of the vertex points in a 3D model/mesh. Models that will be animated will often need to be retopologized to put edge loops (or lines that run through the mesh) in places where the model needs to bend (such as elbows or knees). Retopology will also often be done to bring down the size and complexity of the mesh for animation and video game characters where file sizes need to be kept as low as possible for fast processing.
Sculpting- A process of altering the configuration and/or placement of vertex points in a mesh by using tools in 3D modeling software such as add/subtract clay strips, paint, inflate/deflate, crease, pull, hook, flatten, smooth, etc.
Tablet pressure- How hard or softly one puts pressure on the digital pen/pencil or drawing method on a digital drawing surface
Texture- In 3D modeling, generally used to describe an image texture but can also be used to describe the illusion of depth (see bump and normal maps), or a procedural texture such as veronoi
Texture painting- The process of transferring a photographic or other visual texture (colour, depth, structure, etc.) onto the surface of a 3D model
Topology- The surface structure/characteristics of a 3D model’s mesh or wireframe
Triangles (tris)- Basic mesh unit that has three connected vertex points, three edges or a three-sided face
User Interface- A visual framework or “control center” for servicing a system/program/code and enables communication between the operator and the machine
UV- The flattened version of a 3D model’s mesh (think about an unfolded cardboard box)
UV Unwrap- The process of flattening the mesh of a 3D object. Depending on the software, you may have choices for how the UV will be unwrapped (spherical, smart, manual seams, etc.)
Vertices- The points in a mesh that when connected create edges. When edges come together between 3 vertices they make a tri face and 4 vertices will form a quad face.
Gizmo- A visual interface that allows you move, scale and rotate 3D objects in a 3D scene
Orthographic view- A flattened view of a perspectival 3D space, this view allows you to make precise or symmetrical adjustments from different angles (top, sides, front, bottom)