Datasheet

Core Concepts  13
SolidWorks. These programs let you define shapes and volumes and add color and tex-
ture to them through their toolsets. They store the results in scene files containing coor-
dinates and equations of points in space and the color values that have been assigned to
them. This vector information is then converted into raster images (called rasterization)
through rendering so you can view the final image or animation.
When scaled, vector graphics don’t suffer from the same limitations as raster images.
As you can see in Figure 1.4, vectors can be scaled with no loss of quality; they will never
pixelate.
Motion in vector programs is stored not by a long sequence of image files, but through
changes in positions of the geometry and in the math that defines the shapes and vol-
umes. When a Flash cartoon is played on a website, for example, the information down-
loaded and fed to your computer is in vector form. Your computer then renders this
information on the fly in real time into a raster display of the content that you can (you
hope) enjoy on your screen.
When you work in Maya, vectors are displayed as wireframes. When you finish your
scene, Maya renders the image, converting the vector information into a sequence of ras-
ter images you can play back.
Image Output
When you’re done with your animation, you’ll probably want as many people as possible
to see it (and like it!). To make that happen, you have to render it into a file sequence or a
movie file. The file can be saved in any number of ways, depending on how you intend it
to be viewed.
Figure 1.4
A vector image at
its original size (left)
and blown up quite
a bit (right)
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