glossary.txt

-- Alpha
Usually a black & white image.
White pixels means full intensity/opacity, while black means 0 intensity/opacity.

-- Baking
Synonym: Converting/Transfering
Convert data to one representation to another one (usually by loosing information).

-- Camera
Viewpoint of the observer (in a 3d context)
Synonym: View

-- DynTopo
Stands for Dynamic Topology.
It's a tool that can allow the user to create and delete triangles on a mesh on the fly.
It allows the user to sculpt very fine detail by adding small triangles where it's needed.

-- Environment
Same as HDRI in the context of the app.

-- Gizmo
An interface widget/tool than can move, rotate and scale an object.
Should probably be not translated in most languages (except maybe asian languages?)
Synonym: transform (however there is also another tool named Transform, that do the same thing but through gesture only, without the visual widget)

-- History
List of undos and redos.

-- Layer
Important! A layer is NOT an object.
An object can have multiple layers.
It is similar to the Photoshop "layers" (or any painting software).
It allows the artist to have several layer of painting on the object.
But it also encodes deformation of the object (used to animated a face for example).
Synonym: morph target, blend shape

-- Mask
In the app context, a mask is some paint that you apply on an object.
This is used to protect some area, as the masked area cannot be sculpted/deformed.

-- MatCap
Stands for MATerial CAPture.
It's a rendering technique that handles both the lighting and material in a single image.

-- Mesh
In the context of Nomad, mesh is the same as an "object".
I'm starting to use "object" instead of mesh as it might be less confusing to beginners.
Synonym: geometry

-- Metalness
Property of a material.
It simply tells if the surface is metallic or not. The value should be either 0% or 100% most of the time, in-between values should be exceptional.
A metal reflects 100% of the incoming light.

-- Multiresolution
An object can have multiple resolution (similarly to an image).
The artist can go back and forth, either by sculpting fine detail on the higher resolution or making large changes on the shape on the lower level.

-- Normal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_(geometry)
Vector that is perpendicular to the surface.
It points toward the outside of the surface (not inside).

-- PBR
Stands for Physically Based Material.
It's a rendering technique that tries to handle lights and material in a way that is physically correct.

-- Post Process
Add saturation, contrast, brightness, depth of field, etc

-- Refraction
Property of a material.
It can simulate materials such as glass.

-- Subsurface Scattering (SSS)
Property of a material.
Subsurface scattering simulates the light being absorbed by a surface (and then some of it going out).
It helps simulate skin or more complex materials (milk, skin). 

-- Triplanar
Special type of a primitive that consists in 3 planes.
The user paints the 3 planes and an object will be generated by taking the paint data into account.
Synonym: 3-plane? 3-projecting planes? Voxel planes?

-- UVs (Texture Coordinates)
Plural: UVs
XYZ -> the 3 dimension of world coordinates
UV -> the 2 dimensions of a texture (image)
UVs  are informations that can help an object to be mapped from 3d to a 2d plane.
UVs are necessary when we want to wrap a texture (image) onto an object.

-- Unlit
Rendering mode where the object is drawn with a solid/flat color.
The lights are ignored

-- Voxel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voxel
Stands for VOlumetric PiXEL.
Same as a 2d pixel but in a 3d grid instead.
Probably should be left untranslated in most indo-european languages