1. Path Tracing: Path tracing is a rendering technique used to simulate global illumination, where rays of light are traced as they bounce around a scene. It's a ray-tracing technique that calculates how light interacts with surfaces, including reflections, refractions, and shadows, to create highly realistic renderings.
2. Depth: Depth in computer graphics refers to the distance of an object or point in a 3D scene from the viewer's perspective. It's often used to create depth perception and control rendering effects like depth of field and fog.
3. Diffuse: Diffuse refers to the property of a material to scatter light in different directions, rather than reflecting it in a specular (mirror-like) manner. Diffuse materials appear matte and are often used for simulating materials like wood, fabric, or plaster.
4. Normal: Normals are vectors that define the direction a surface is facing at a particular point. In computer graphics, normals are used to calculate lighting and shading on a surface. They're crucial for creating realistic lighting and reflections.
5. Opacity: Opacity defines how transparent or opaque a material is. A value of 0 indicates complete transparency, while a value of 1 indicates complete opacity. Materials like glass or water have varying levels of opacity.
6. Specular: Specular refers to the shininess or reflectivity of a material. High specular values result in glossy or mirror-like surfaces, while low values produce dull or matte surfaces. Specular highlights are common in metal and plastic materials.
7. Metallic: The metallic property determines whether a material behaves like a metal. Metallic materials reflect light like metals, while non-metallic materials behave differently. The metallic property is often used in physically based rendering (PBR) workflows.
8. Roughness: Roughness defines the micro-surface irregularities of a material. Low roughness values result in smooth, shiny surfaces, while high roughness values produce rough, matte surfaces. It's another critical parameter in PBR workflows.
9. AO (Ambient Occlusion): Ambient occlusion is a shading and rendering technique that calculates how much ambient light (indirect light) reaches a point in a scene. It's used to simulate subtle shadows and shading in crevices and corners, enhancing the realism of a rendering.