Search Tips Advanced Search |
| Delphi Graphics and Game Programming Exposed with DirectX 7.0 by John Ayres Wordware Publishing, Inc. ISBN: 1556226373 Pub Date: 12/01/99
Search this book:
Previous | Table of Contents | Next
## Glossary A artificial intelligence (AI): The concept of cognitive software that thinks and reacts to situations in a sentient manner. In relation to game programming, this is the section of code responsible for determining the actions and reactions of game antagonists in relation to the actions and reactions of the player. alpha channel: A component of color that records levels of transparency/opacity as opposed to actual color data. B bitmap: A collection of pixels arranged in a rectangular configuration in such a way that they form a recognizable shape, such as a picture or texture. BLT: bit block transfer. Pronounced “blit,” this is the act of copying the pixels of a bitmap image onto the screen or other graphical output surface for display. C coefficient: A measurement of the strength of resistance output by a force feedback device in response to the movement of an axis, relative to the total maximum force available on the device itself. color depth: A measurement of the number of bits per pixel required to describe the color of an individual pixel. condition: A resistant force applied to one or more axes on a force feedback device in response to the movement or position of those axes. D device context (DC): Represents the surface of an output device such as a monitor, printer, or plotter, allowing the application to perform graphical output. device-dependent bitmap (DDB): An older bitmap image format that stores only height, width, color depth, and image pixels. device-independent bitmap (DIB): A flexible bitmap image format that includes all necessary information to accurately reproduce the image on any device. E end user license agreement (EULA): A legal document that details specific licensing issues concerning software. envelope: A series of values that shape a force at the beginning and end of playback. F fade: A transition effect where an image slowly appears out of a solid color, such as black or white. finite state machine: A logical construction that contains a series of states defining specific behaviors and a series of state transitions defining rules for moving from state to state. frame: A single image in a series of images to be animated. Frame animation: The process of producing animation by rapidly displaying a series of images depicting an object or character in slightly different positions each frame. force feedback: A method by which an input device can output tactile feedback to the user through various actuator motors. G gain: A scaling factor for magnitudes and coefficients, measured in hundredths of a percent. Graphical Device Interface (GDI): The Windows subsystem responsible for all graphical output during a Windows session. H HAL: Hardware abstraction layer; the DirectX drivers responsible for direct interface to hardware capabilities. HEL: Hardware emulation layer; the DirectX drivers responsible for emulating certain functionality if not present in hardware. hertz (Hz): A measurement of samples per second. human/computer interaction: The concept of techniques and methods by which humans and machines, primarily computers, exchange information. K kinetic force: An active push on one or more axes on a force feedback device. L line: A collection of pixels, usually arranged in a linear or connecting configuration. M magnitude: A measurement of the strength of a kinetic force output by a force feedback device, relative to the total maximum force available on the device itself. masking: The act of using two bitmaps, an AND bitmap and an OR bitmap, along with raster operations to draw one bitmap over another while simulating transparent pixels in the source bitmap. Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC): Microsoft’s object-oriented component hierarchy, similar to Delphi’s VCL. mixing: Combining several sounds in real time in such a way that they can be played simultaneously. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface): A digital format for describing music. O overscan: The area on a monitor that borders the usable display area. P path finding: Algorithmic techniques for determining the shortest, most direct path from a starting position to an ending position based on terrain and obstacles in the game world. pixel: The smallest, single element in a graphical image or on the display surface. polling: A method for retrieving input or checking some data value manually (as opposed to letting a separate thread check it automatically), usually repeated often at regular intervals. polygon: A collection of lines, arranged in such a way that the ends are connected to form a continuous, closed shape. POV hat: The point-of-view (POV) hat is a device that typically rests on the top of a joystick, and can be used to indicate a viewing direction separate from movement direction. primary sound driver: The audio output device selected by the user on the Audio tab of the Multimedia control panel applet. profiler: A profiler is an application that typically measures application execution time. The level at which an application is timed usually varies, from timing the execution of individual lines to the execution time of functions, procedures, or the overall application. pulse code modulation (PCM): An uncompressed audio format; the most common format for Windows WAV files. R raster graphics: Graphics that are composed of a collection of pixels that together form a picture or image. Generally refers to bitmaps, icons, and other such graphical types. raster operation (ROP): A Boolean function performed on pixels when they are copied from bitmap to bitmap that determines how the pixels from the source, the destination, and the destination device context’s selected brush are combined. Red Book Audio: The digital format used to store professional music on conventional audio CDs. resolution: A measurement of the number of pixels displayed on the screen. Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF): A complex, variable length file consisting of variable length “chunks.” Each chunk can describe data or a header (which contains a description of the data following it). Commonly used for multimedia file formats, such as WAV files. RGB color: Refers to the method by which colors are represented, usually in the form of a red, green, and blue component, respectively. S sprite: An image that animates and moves around the screen in some fashion. Typically associated with images that the user can interact with, either directly or through interaction with other sprites. T texture mapping: A general term for algorithms that map a bitmap image onto a geometric shape. V vector graphics: Graphics that are represented by a series of connected points in a virtual 2-D or 3-D Cartesian (or similar) coordinate system. Generally refers to lines, polygons, curves, and other such graphical types. video mode: The video hardware state that dictates the display resolution and number of available colors for graphical output. Z z-order: The position along the z, or third-dimensional, axis. This is an imaginary axis that runs perpendicular to the screen, and gives the illusion of depth.
Previous | Table of Contents | Next

Products | Contact Us | About Us | Privacy | Ad Info | Home Use of this site is subject to certain Terms & Conditions, Copyright © 1996-2000 EarthWeb Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of EarthWeb is prohibited. Read EarthWeb's privacy statement.