Reference · geometry to delivery

The 3D encyclopedia.

Clear, useful definitions for the concepts that shape a model’s geometry, appearance, performance, export and real-world use. Each article explains what a term means—and what it does not guarantee.

30 reference topics · Reviewed October 17, 2026

Foundations

3D modelA digital representation of an object’s shape and optional appearance in three-dimensional space.Read definition ↗

Geometry

Polygon meshA surface represented by connected vertices, edges, and polygon faces.Read definition ↗VertexA point that stores a position and may store additional per-point attributes.Read definition ↗EdgeA line segment connecting two mesh vertices.Read definition ↗FaceA polygonal region bounded by mesh edges.Read definition ↗TopologyHow a mesh’s vertices, edges, and faces connect to one another.Read definition ↗Manifold meshA mesh whose local surface neighborhood is well-defined under a specific manifoldness test.Read definition ↗NormalA direction vector used to describe surface orientation for lighting and geometric operations.Read definition ↗

3D printing

Watertight meshA closed, gap-free surface intended to bound a solid volume.Read definition ↗SlicerSoftware that converts a 3D model into layer instructions for a particular printer and process.Read definition ↗Wall thicknessThe measured thickness of a surface or shell in a 3D part.Read definition ↗

Appearance

UV mappingA mapping from a 3D surface to two-dimensional texture coordinates.Read definition ↗Texture mapAn image used by a material to vary color, surface response, or other attributes across a model.Read definition ↗PBR materialA physically based rendering material that describes light interaction using standardized properties.Read definition ↗RoughnessA material parameter that controls the spread of reflected light in many PBR workflows.Read definition ↗MetalnessA PBR material parameter distinguishing metallic surfaces from dielectric materials.Read definition ↗

Editing

TransformA position, rotation, and scale applied to an object in a scene.Read definition ↗Scene graphA hierarchical structure that organizes objects, cameras, lights, and transforms.Read definition ↗

Formats

glTFAn open standard for efficient transmission and loading of 3D scenes and assets.Read definition ↗GLBThe binary container form of glTF, commonly used to package a 3D scene into one file.Read definition ↗STLA widely used triangle-surface format for additive manufacturing workflows.Read definition ↗3MFA 3D manufacturing format designed to carry richer additive-manufacturing information than basic triangle-only files.Read definition ↗

Production

RetopologyRebuilding a model’s mesh layout to better serve editing, animation, simulation or rendering.Read definition ↗LODA level of detail: a lower-cost representation selected when full detail is unnecessary.Read definition ↗

Publishing

Web 3DInteractive 3D graphics delivered in a web browser using technologies such as WebGL or WebGPU.Read definition ↗WebGLA browser API for GPU-accelerated 2D and 3D graphics based on OpenGL ES concepts.Read definition ↗RendererThe software component that turns a scene and camera into pixels on a display.Read definition ↗Quality policyA set of device-aware rules that selects a safe rendering budget.Read definition ↗

Accessibility

Reduced motionA user or operating-system preference to limit nonessential movement and animation.Read definition ↗

Manufacturing

3D printingA family of processes that build physical objects from digital design data, commonly layer by layer.Read definition ↗