Glossary

The interdisciplinary aspect of this project necessitates a brief glossary of technical terms. It should be noted that the meaning of these terms may differ within other contexts and that these definitions only apply to the terminology adopted within this article.

compositing

The process of combining and adjusting multiple render layers and passes from a single computer-generated scene.

kite aerial photography

A method whereby low altitude aerial photographs can be obtained using a camera suspended from a kite line.

mesh/meshing

A three-dimensional computer-generated surface that has been derived from real-world structural data/the process of generating this type of surface.

model/modelling

A three-dimensional computer-generated surface that has been constructed manually using software/the process of generating this type of surface.

photo-texture

Where colour information from one or more photographs is mapped onto a three-dimensional computer-generated surface.

Picavet configuration

A simple mechanical arrangement, named after its inventor, Pierre Picavet, whereby a camera rig can be suspended from a kite line in such a way as to provide a relatively level and stable platform.

point cloud

A dataset relating to a series of positions in three-dimensional space, usually expressed in X, Y and Z co-ordinates.

render/rendering

Two-dimensional imagery, either still or time-based, derived from a three-dimensional computer-generated environment/the process of generating these images.

render layer

Where different components in a computer-generated scene are rendered separately and later superimposed during compositing.

render pass

Where different aspects of a single render layer are separated during rendering and later combined during compositing to allow for a finer level of adjustment in the resulting image.

structure from motion photogrammetry

A process whereby a series of two-dimensional photographs taken from a moving platform can be converted into a set of static positions in three-dimensional space in the form of a point cloud.