Some CGI terms you should know:

Rendering – The last major step in any CGI production, this refers to the process whereby an image is generated by a model created by the computer programs used. This includes applying lighting effects, shading, texture-mapping, bumpmapping, transparency and more. This is commonly done by the systems GPU, which is specifically built to assist the CPU in making complex rendering computations.

Rasterization – This is where elements of an image are grouped together and rendered as groups (known as primitives) instead of all at once. It is generally faster than pixelby-pixel rendering because it ignores the parts of the image that is empty of primitives. This approach used to lead to very block-like faces because the entire face would be a single color, but today the pixels of a face are rendered as a blending of the vertex colors.

Raycasting – A rendering technique whereby the geometry is calculated from the point-of-view outward, as if casting rays out from the point of view. When these rays hit an object, the color of the object at that point becomes the value of the pixel. Texture maps, illumination factor and optical properties are taken into account in determining the color.

Raytracing – A rendering technique for generating an image by tracing the path of light through all the pixels in a scene, and simulating the effects that occur when it hits virtual objects ( Typically a combination of two or more these four effects: absorption, reflection, refraction and fluorescence).

Motion capture – The process of recording the movement of objects or people in the real world and then mapping that information into digital characters models. With this approach, nuances in the actors’ movements can be picked up, adding personality to the virtual character. Also, more rapid results can be achieved, and complex movements can be easily recreated in a physically accurate manner.