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Blender 3D Glossary
Blender 3D Glossary
Blender 3d Glossary
Blender 3D Glossary
Explore our comprehensive glossary of essential terms and related concepts about Blender 3D and more.
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3D Modeling
3D Modeling
Creating a three-dimensional representation of an object using specialized software to define its shape and details.
Ambient Occlusion
Ambient Occlusion
A shading technique that simulates how ambient light interacts with surfaces, adding depth and realism.
Anisotropic Shading
Anisotropic Shading
A shading model that simulates light interaction with materials having directional properties, like brushed metal.
Animation
Animation
Creating the illusion of movement by displaying a sequence of individual frames or images in rapid succession.
Armature
Armature
A skeleton-like structure of bones and joints used to control the movement of a 3D model in animation.
Bake Animation
Bake Animation
Precomputing and saving an animation to enhance playback performance by reducing the need for real-time calculations.
Bake Ambient Occlusion
Bake Ambient Occlusion
Precomputing ambient occlusion effects and storing them in a texture to improve rendering efficiency.
Bake Reflection
Bake Reflection
Precomputing and storing reflections on objects to enhance rendering speed and performance.
Baking
Baking
The process of precomputing and saving complex simulations or lighting effects to optimize performance.
Bezier Curve
Bezier Curve
A smooth, editable curve used in creating paths, defined by control points and commonly used in animation and design.
Blend File
Blend File
The file format used by Blender to save entire projects, including models, animations, and settings.
Boolean Operation
Boolean Operation
Combining or subtracting 3D shapes using Boolean logic to create complex models.
Bump Map
Bump Map
A texture that creates the illusion of surface detail without changing the actual geometry of the model.
Camera
Camera
The virtual device in Blender that captures and frames the scene for rendering.
Camera Depth of Field
Camera Depth of Field
A technique to simulate blurring of objects based on their distance from the camera, mimicking real-world lenses.
Camera Proxy
Camera Proxy
A simplified version of a camera used for layout and blocking before finalizing the scene setup.
Color Management
Color Management
The system for adjusting and maintaining consistent color profiles across different devices and rendering outputs.
Color Ramp
Color Ramp
A node used to control the gradient of colors in a shader or material, allowing for smooth transitions.
Cycles Renderer
Cycles Renderer
Blender’s path-tracing renderer designed for creating photorealistic images with accurate lighting and materials.
Decimation
Decimation
Reducing the number of polygons in a mesh to simplify the model, often for optimization.
Displacement Map
Displacement Map
A texture that modifies the position of vertices on a model's surface to create detailed geometry.
Dynamic Paint
Dynamic Paint
A system for creating paint effects and simulations based on interactions between objects in a 3D scene.
Dynamic Paint Brush
Dynamic Paint Brush
A tool used in Dynamic Paint to apply paint effects to a canvas object, simulating different materials and effects.
Eevee Renderer
Eevee Renderer
Blender’s real-time rendering engine designed for interactive rendering and fast previews with high visual fidelity.
Extrude
Extrude
A modeling operation that extends faces or edges to create new geometry, adding depth to a shape.
Face
Face
A flat surface on a mesh, typically made up of three or four vertices, forming the basic unit of a 3D model's geometry.
F-Curve
F-Curve
A curve representing the change of a property over time in animation, used to control motion and transformation.
Fragment Shader
Fragment Shader
A shader that processes pixel data to determine the final color and shading of each pixel on a rendered surface.
Fresnel Effect
Fresnel Effect
A shading effect that changes the appearance of a surface based on the angle of view relative to the surface normal.
Geometry Nodes
Geometry Nodes
A node-based system for creating and manipulating procedural geometry, allowing for complex model generation.
Grease Pencil
Grease Pencil
A tool in Blender for drawing directly in 3D space, often used for creating 2D animations or annotations within a 3D environment.
Grease Pencil Layers
Grease Pencil Layers
Layers within the Grease Pencil tool used to organize and manage different drawings or animations.
Grease Pencil Strokes
Grease Pencil Strokes
Individual lines or drawings created with the Grease Pencil tool, used in both 2D and 3D space.
HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging)
HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging)
A technique that captures a wide range of light intensities, often used for realistic lighting and reflections in 3D scenes.
Keyframe
Keyframe
A frame in animation that marks the starting or ending point of any smooth transition, defining key movements or changes.
Lattice Modifier
Lattice Modifier
A modifier that deforms a mesh using a lattice structure, allowing for non-destructive editing and shape alterations.
Light Falloff
Light Falloff
The decrease in light intensity as it moves away from the source, affecting how light spreads in a scene.
Light Path Node
Light Path Node
A node in Blender’s Shader Editor used to access different aspects of light interaction, like reflection or refraction.
Material
Material
Properties applied to a 3D model’s surface, including color, texture, and reflectivity, defining its appearance.
Material Library
Material Library
A collection of reusable materials and shaders that can be applied to different objects within a scene for consistency.
Mesh
Mesh
A collection of vertices, edges, and faces that defines the shape of a 3D object, forming its basic structure in space.
Mesh Decimation
Mesh Decimation
Reducing the complexity of a mesh by decreasing the number of polygons, used to optimize performance or simplify models.
Mesh Extrusion
Mesh Extrusion
Extending faces or edges of a mesh to create new geometry, adding depth or detail to a model.
Mesh Subdivision
Mesh Subdivision
The process of adding more geometry to a mesh by subdividing its faces, smoothing the surface or increasing detail.
Motion Tracking
Motion Tracking
Analyzing video footage to track moving objects, allowing for the integration of 3D elements into real-world footage.
Normal Map
Normal Map
A texture that simulates surface details like bumps or wrinkles without altering the mesh geometry, enhancing realism.
Normal
Normal
A vector perpendicular to the surface of a 3D model, determining how light interacts with the surface for shading.
Node Editor
Node Editor
A workspace in Blender for creating and managing complex shader and compositing networks using nodes.
Node Group
Node Group
A collection of nodes combined into a single, reusable node for creating complex shading or compositing setups.
Object Constraints
Object Constraints
Rules that control or limit how objects behave relative to one another, used for maintaining specific relationships in a scene.
Object Mode
Object Mode
The mode in Blender for manipulating entire objects, allowing for transformation and positioning, distinct from editing individual components.
Particle System
Particle System
A system used to create and manage large numbers of small particles in a simulation, like smoke, fire, or hair.
Pose
Pose
A specific position or arrangement of a rigged 3D model, used as a key element in animation to define character actions.
Pose Library
Pose Library
A collection of predefined poses that can be quickly applied to rigged characters, speeding up the animation process.
Render Layer
Render Layer
Separate layers in rendering that can be combined during post-processing to achieve the final image, allowing for complex compositing.
Render Passes
Render Passes
Different layers of information outputted during rendering, such as color, shadows, or reflections, used for post-processing.
Rendering
Rendering
The process of generating a final image from a 3D model by calculating lighting, shading, and textures through a computer program.
Rig
Rig
The complete system of bones and controls used to animate a 3D model, essential for bringing characters or objects to life.
Rigging
Rigging
The process of creating a skeleton for a 3D model, allowing it to be animated by controlling movements and deformations.
Rigging Constraints
Rigging Constraints
Rules applied to rigged bones or controls to enforce specific behaviors or limits, ensuring realistic movement and stability.
Rigify
Rigify
A Blender add-on that automates the rigging process, providing a ready-made rig for characters to speed up animation setup.
Sculpt Mode
Sculpt Mode
The mode for using digital sculpting tools to shape and refine a 3D model, allowing for detailed adjustments similar to traditional sculpting.
Sculpting
Sculpting
The technique of shaping and refining 3D models using digital tools, enabling the creation of detailed and organic forms.
Shader
Shader
A program that defines how light interacts with a surface, determining its appearance during rendering, such as color, reflectivity, and texture.
Shader Editor
Shader Editor
The workspace used to create and edit shaders and materials using nodes, providing control over how surfaces are rendered.
Shape Key
Shape Key
A tool for creating and managing variations in a mesh, often used for facial expressions or other deformations in character animation.
Shape Key Animation
Shape Key Animation
Animation created by interpolating between different shape keys, allowing for smooth transitions between facial expressions or shape variations.
Simulation Domain
Simulation Domain
The volume within which a fluid or smoke simulation is calculated, defining the boundaries and behavior of the simulation.
Soft Body Dynamics
Soft Body Dynamics
A simulation method that allows objects to deform and respond like soft materials, used for realistic animation of cloth, jellies, and other pliable objects.
Subdivision Surface Modifier
Subdivision Surface Modifier
A Blender modifier that smooths the geometry of a mesh by adding subdivisions, used to increase detail or create organic shapes.
Surface Shader
Surface Shader
A shader applied to the surface of a 3D model to define its appearance, affecting how it interacts with light and its overall material properties.
Texture
Texture
An image or pattern applied to a 3D model to give it detailed surface appearance, such as wood grain, metal, or skin.
Texture Atlas
Texture Atlas
A large texture map containing multiple smaller textures, used to optimize texture mapping and reduce the number of texture files needed.
Texture Painting
Texture Painting
The process of directly painting textures onto a 3D model’s surface, allowing for custom designs and detail without external image editing.
Transform Gizmo
Transform Gizmo
A graphical interface element used for manipulating an object's location, rotation, and scale directly in the viewport, providing intuitive control.
UV Island
UV Island
A contiguous section of a UV map that corresponds to a specific part of a 3D model’s surface, used in texture mapping.
UV Mapping
UV Mapping
The process of projecting a 2D image texture onto a 3D model’s surface, aligning the texture to the model’s geometry.
Vertex
Vertex
A point in 3D space that defines the corners of a mesh, forming the basic building block of a 3D object.
Vertex Color
Vertex Color
Color data stored at each vertex of a mesh, used in vertex painting and shading, providing detailed color control without textures.
Vertex Group
Vertex Group
A collection of vertices used to control how modifiers or deformations are applied to a mesh, often in rigging or shape manipulation.
Vertex Shader
Vertex Shader
A shader that processes vertex data, determining the position and attributes of each vertex during rendering, affecting the model’s appearance.
Viewport
Viewport
The area of the Blender interface where you view and interact with your 3D scene, allowing for navigation and editing.
Viewport Clipping
Viewport Clipping
The process of limiting the visible range in the viewport, optimizing performance by excluding distant or irrelevant objects from view.
Viewport Shading
Viewport Shading
Different modes for visualizing objects and materials in the viewport, such as Solid, Wireframe, or Rendered views, aiding in design and layout.
Weight Painting
Weight Painting
The process of assigning weights to vertices, controlling how much each vertex is influenced by bones or other modifiers in a rig.
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I
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3D Modeling
3D Modeling
Creating a three-dimensional representation of an object using specialized software to define its shape and details.
Ambient Occlusion
Ambient Occlusion
A shading technique that simulates how ambient light interacts with surfaces, adding depth and realism.
Anisotropic Shading
Anisotropic Shading
A shading model that simulates light interaction with materials having directional properties, like brushed metal.
Animation
Animation
Creating the illusion of movement by displaying a sequence of individual frames or images in rapid succession.
Armature
Armature
A skeleton-like structure of bones and joints used to control the movement of a 3D model in animation.
Bake Animation
Bake Animation
Precomputing and saving an animation to enhance playback performance by reducing the need for real-time calculations.
Bake Ambient Occlusion
Bake Ambient Occlusion
Precomputing ambient occlusion effects and storing them in a texture to improve rendering efficiency.
Bake Reflection
Bake Reflection
Precomputing and storing reflections on objects to enhance rendering speed and performance.
Baking
Baking
The process of precomputing and saving complex simulations or lighting effects to optimize performance.
Bezier Curve
Bezier Curve
A smooth, editable curve used in creating paths, defined by control points and commonly used in animation and design.
Blend File
Blend File
The file format used by Blender to save entire projects, including models, animations, and settings.
Boolean Operation
Boolean Operation
Combining or subtracting 3D shapes using Boolean logic to create complex models.
Bump Map
Bump Map
A texture that creates the illusion of surface detail without changing the actual geometry of the model.
Camera
Camera
The virtual device in Blender that captures and frames the scene for rendering.
Camera Depth of Field
Camera Depth of Field
A technique to simulate blurring of objects based on their distance from the camera, mimicking real-world lenses.
Camera Proxy
Camera Proxy
A simplified version of a camera used for layout and blocking before finalizing the scene setup.
Color Management
Color Management
The system for adjusting and maintaining consistent color profiles across different devices and rendering outputs.
Color Ramp
Color Ramp
A node used to control the gradient of colors in a shader or material, allowing for smooth transitions.
Cycles Renderer
Cycles Renderer
Blender’s path-tracing renderer designed for creating photorealistic images with accurate lighting and materials.
Decimation
Decimation
Reducing the number of polygons in a mesh to simplify the model, often for optimization.
Displacement Map
Displacement Map
A texture that modifies the position of vertices on a model's surface to create detailed geometry.
Dynamic Paint
Dynamic Paint
A system for creating paint effects and simulations based on interactions between objects in a 3D scene.
Dynamic Paint Brush
Dynamic Paint Brush
A tool used in Dynamic Paint to apply paint effects to a canvas object, simulating different materials and effects.
Eevee Renderer
Eevee Renderer
Blender’s real-time rendering engine designed for interactive rendering and fast previews with high visual fidelity.
Extrude
Extrude
A modeling operation that extends faces or edges to create new geometry, adding depth to a shape.
Face
Face
A flat surface on a mesh, typically made up of three or four vertices, forming the basic unit of a 3D model's geometry.
F-Curve
F-Curve
A curve representing the change of a property over time in animation, used to control motion and transformation.
Fragment Shader
Fragment Shader
A shader that processes pixel data to determine the final color and shading of each pixel on a rendered surface.
Fresnel Effect
Fresnel Effect
A shading effect that changes the appearance of a surface based on the angle of view relative to the surface normal.
Geometry Nodes
Geometry Nodes
A node-based system for creating and manipulating procedural geometry, allowing for complex model generation.
Grease Pencil
Grease Pencil
A tool in Blender for drawing directly in 3D space, often used for creating 2D animations or annotations within a 3D environment.
Grease Pencil Layers
Grease Pencil Layers
Layers within the Grease Pencil tool used to organize and manage different drawings or animations.
Grease Pencil Strokes
Grease Pencil Strokes
Individual lines or drawings created with the Grease Pencil tool, used in both 2D and 3D space.
HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging)
HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging)
A technique that captures a wide range of light intensities, often used for realistic lighting and reflections in 3D scenes.
Keyframe
Keyframe
A frame in animation that marks the starting or ending point of any smooth transition, defining key movements or changes.
Lattice Modifier
Lattice Modifier
A modifier that deforms a mesh using a lattice structure, allowing for non-destructive editing and shape alterations.
Light Falloff
Light Falloff
The decrease in light intensity as it moves away from the source, affecting how light spreads in a scene.
Light Path Node
Light Path Node
A node in Blender’s Shader Editor used to access different aspects of light interaction, like reflection or refraction.
Material
Material
Properties applied to a 3D model’s surface, including color, texture, and reflectivity, defining its appearance.
Material Library
Material Library
A collection of reusable materials and shaders that can be applied to different objects within a scene for consistency.
Mesh
Mesh
A collection of vertices, edges, and faces that defines the shape of a 3D object, forming its basic structure in space.
Mesh Decimation
Mesh Decimation
Reducing the complexity of a mesh by decreasing the number of polygons, used to optimize performance or simplify models.
Mesh Extrusion
Mesh Extrusion
Extending faces or edges of a mesh to create new geometry, adding depth or detail to a model.
Mesh Subdivision
Mesh Subdivision
The process of adding more geometry to a mesh by subdividing its faces, smoothing the surface or increasing detail.
Motion Tracking
Motion Tracking
Analyzing video footage to track moving objects, allowing for the integration of 3D elements into real-world footage.
Normal Map
Normal Map
A texture that simulates surface details like bumps or wrinkles without altering the mesh geometry, enhancing realism.
Normal
Normal
A vector perpendicular to the surface of a 3D model, determining how light interacts with the surface for shading.
Node Editor
Node Editor
A workspace in Blender for creating and managing complex shader and compositing networks using nodes.
Node Group
Node Group
A collection of nodes combined into a single, reusable node for creating complex shading or compositing setups.
Object Constraints
Object Constraints
Rules that control or limit how objects behave relative to one another, used for maintaining specific relationships in a scene.
Object Mode
Object Mode
The mode in Blender for manipulating entire objects, allowing for transformation and positioning, distinct from editing individual components.
Particle System
Particle System
A system used to create and manage large numbers of small particles in a simulation, like smoke, fire, or hair.
Pose
Pose
A specific position or arrangement of a rigged 3D model, used as a key element in animation to define character actions.
Pose Library
Pose Library
A collection of predefined poses that can be quickly applied to rigged characters, speeding up the animation process.
Render Layer
Render Layer
Separate layers in rendering that can be combined during post-processing to achieve the final image, allowing for complex compositing.
Render Passes
Render Passes
Different layers of information outputted during rendering, such as color, shadows, or reflections, used for post-processing.
Rendering
Rendering
The process of generating a final image from a 3D model by calculating lighting, shading, and textures through a computer program.
Rig
Rig
The complete system of bones and controls used to animate a 3D model, essential for bringing characters or objects to life.
Rigging
Rigging
The process of creating a skeleton for a 3D model, allowing it to be animated by controlling movements and deformations.
Rigging Constraints
Rigging Constraints
Rules applied to rigged bones or controls to enforce specific behaviors or limits, ensuring realistic movement and stability.
Rigify
Rigify
A Blender add-on that automates the rigging process, providing a ready-made rig for characters to speed up animation setup.
Sculpt Mode
Sculpt Mode
The mode for using digital sculpting tools to shape and refine a 3D model, allowing for detailed adjustments similar to traditional sculpting.
Sculpting
Sculpting
The technique of shaping and refining 3D models using digital tools, enabling the creation of detailed and organic forms.
Shader
Shader
A program that defines how light interacts with a surface, determining its appearance during rendering, such as color, reflectivity, and texture.
Shader Editor
Shader Editor
The workspace used to create and edit shaders and materials using nodes, providing control over how surfaces are rendered.
Shape Key
Shape Key
A tool for creating and managing variations in a mesh, often used for facial expressions or other deformations in character animation.
Shape Key Animation
Shape Key Animation
Animation created by interpolating between different shape keys, allowing for smooth transitions between facial expressions or shape variations.
Simulation Domain
Simulation Domain
The volume within which a fluid or smoke simulation is calculated, defining the boundaries and behavior of the simulation.
Soft Body Dynamics
Soft Body Dynamics
A simulation method that allows objects to deform and respond like soft materials, used for realistic animation of cloth, jellies, and other pliable objects.
Subdivision Surface Modifier
Subdivision Surface Modifier
A Blender modifier that smooths the geometry of a mesh by adding subdivisions, used to increase detail or create organic shapes.
Surface Shader
Surface Shader
A shader applied to the surface of a 3D model to define its appearance, affecting how it interacts with light and its overall material properties.
Texture
Texture
An image or pattern applied to a 3D model to give it detailed surface appearance, such as wood grain, metal, or skin.
Texture Atlas
Texture Atlas
A large texture map containing multiple smaller textures, used to optimize texture mapping and reduce the number of texture files needed.
Texture Painting
Texture Painting
The process of directly painting textures onto a 3D model’s surface, allowing for custom designs and detail without external image editing.
Transform Gizmo
Transform Gizmo
A graphical interface element used for manipulating an object's location, rotation, and scale directly in the viewport, providing intuitive control.
UV Island
UV Island
A contiguous section of a UV map that corresponds to a specific part of a 3D model’s surface, used in texture mapping.
UV Mapping
UV Mapping
The process of projecting a 2D image texture onto a 3D model’s surface, aligning the texture to the model’s geometry.
Vertex
Vertex
A point in 3D space that defines the corners of a mesh, forming the basic building block of a 3D object.
Vertex Color
Vertex Color
Color data stored at each vertex of a mesh, used in vertex painting and shading, providing detailed color control without textures.
Vertex Group
Vertex Group
A collection of vertices used to control how modifiers or deformations are applied to a mesh, often in rigging or shape manipulation.
Vertex Shader
Vertex Shader
A shader that processes vertex data, determining the position and attributes of each vertex during rendering, affecting the model’s appearance.
Viewport
Viewport
The area of the Blender interface where you view and interact with your 3D scene, allowing for navigation and editing.
Viewport Clipping
Viewport Clipping
The process of limiting the visible range in the viewport, optimizing performance by excluding distant or irrelevant objects from view.
Viewport Shading
Viewport Shading
Different modes for visualizing objects and materials in the viewport, such as Solid, Wireframe, or Rendered views, aiding in design and layout.
Weight Painting
Weight Painting
The process of assigning weights to vertices, controlling how much each vertex is influenced by bones or other modifiers in a rig.
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