Design reference index · 25/27
2153 source-linked definitions with individual URLs. JavaScript is not required to browse these documents.
Try 379 interactive reference cards
Flipbook Texture
A texture arranging animation frames in a grid.
Texture Sheet Animation
Playing frames by changing the sampled UV region within a texture sheet.
UV Panning
Moving texture coordinates over time to create the impression of flow.
UV Distortion
Deforming texture coordinates using noise, vectors, or related data.
Flow Map
A map storing local flow directions across a texture.
Noise Texture
A texture containing an irregular pattern of values.
Dissolve
Gradually removing or revealing a surface by changing a mask threshold, often using noise.
Erosion Mask
A mask controlling disappearance as though edges or surfaces are being eroded.
Dissolve Edge
The boundary of a dissolve emphasized with a separate color or emission.
Alpha Mask
Values controlling transparency or visibility at each location.
Alpha Clip
Discarding pixels whose alpha value falls below a threshold.
Alpha Blending
Mixing foreground and background colors with alpha to render translucency.
Premultiplied Alpha
A color representation with RGB already multiplied by alpha, and the matching compositing method.
Additive Blending
Combining colors by addition, as though adding light.
Multiplicative Blending
Combining colors by multiplication, generally darkening the existing result.
Emissive
A material component that appears bright independently of scene lighting.
Depth Fade
Softening surface intersections using the difference from scene depth.
Distortion Shader
A shader changing background or surface sample positions to suggest refraction.
Refraction
The change in light direction at a boundary between media, or a visual approximation of it.
Normal Distortion
Distorting surface or background sampling using normals or direction vectors.
Vertex Displacement
Moving mesh vertex positions through a shader or data-driven process.
Fresnel Rim Mask
A view-angle mask selecting grazing-angle surfaces for a rim highlight.
Channel Packing
Storing different datasets in the red, green, blue, and alpha channels of one texture.
Muzzle Flash
The flash or flame around a muzzle at the instant of firing.
Bullet Tracer
A line or light showing the direction of a bullet or projectile's travel.
Impact Spark
Brief sparks spreading from an impact against a hard surface.
Impact Ring
A ring expanding outward from a hit location.
Shockwave
An expanding effect suggesting an impact propagating outward.
Hit Flash
A brief color or brightness change on a target or screen when a hit occurs.
Slash Effect
An effect emphasizing a cutting direction or arc with a strip, surface, or light.
Weapon Trail
A continuous trace left in the space traversed by a weapon.
Projectile Effect
The visual body, light, and trail of a moving attack projectile.
Charge-up Effect
An effect showing energy gathering or increasing before activation.
Cast Effect
An effect around hands, a weapon, or the body at the moment an ability is cast.
Channeling Effect
An effect sustained while an input or condition remains active.
AoE Telegraph
A cue showing the area and timing of an upcoming hazard.
Ground Target Indicator
An aiming indicator showing where an ability will be placed and the area it covers.
Magic Circle
A magical position or area indicator composed of circles, symbols, and patterns.
Aura
A persistent effect region surrounding a target.
Shield Effect
A visual representation surrounding a protected or damage-blocking region.
Shield Hit Ripple
A wave spreading from the point where a shield is hit.
Heal Effect
A visual effect indicating recovery of health or another resource.
Teleport Effect
An effect connecting disappearance, relocation, and reappearance.
Summoning Effect
An effect representing a new entity entering the world.
Disintegration Effect
An effect making a target disappear through fragments, particles, or erosion.
Critical Hit Effect
An effect distinguishing and emphasizing a stronger-than-normal hit.
Loot Beam
An upward beam identifying a ground item's location or quality tier.
Fire Effect
An effect representing the shape, color, and movement of burning fire.
Embers
Small glowing particles rising from or remaining in a fire.
Smoke Plume
A smoke flow that rises and expands.
Dust Puff
A brief cloud of dust that spreads and dissipates.
Dust Motes
Fine particles floating in the air.
Debris
Fragments broken away by an impact.
Explosion
An effect combining rapid expansion, light, smoke, and fragments.
Rain Streak
An elongated visual trail of a falling raindrop.
Rain Splash
A small water effect spreading where rain contacts a surface.
Snow Particles
A representation of falling or drifting snowflakes.
Fog
An effect obscuring distant objects through the apparent scattering or density of intervening space.
Volumetric Fog
Fog representing interactions between light and a medium within space.
Water Splash
An effect spreading droplets and water sheets through impact or eruption.
Foam
A representation of white bubbles or froth on a water surface.
Water Ripple
A circular or wave-like disturbance spreading across water.
Water Wake
A flow or foam trail left behind an object moving across water.
Lightning Arc
A branching or wavering path of electrical discharge.
Electric Spark
A short, intense flash or particle effect representing an electrical discharge.
Heat Haze
A distortion making the background shimmer as though viewed through hot air.
Wind Streak
Lines, strips, or particles making the direction of otherwise invisible wind visible.
Falling Leaves
The motion of leaves falling under gravity and wind.
Fireflies
Small floating lights that move and blink.
Lens Flare
An effect imitating reflections and glare produced by a bright source in a lens.
Lens Dirt
A treatment suggesting dust or smudges on a lens becoming visible in bright light.
Vignette
An effect darkening or otherwise modifying the screen edges.
Color LUT
A reference table mapping input colors to output colors.
Camera Impulse
A temporary camera displacement triggered by an event.
Zoom Punch
A short, forceful zoom in or out emphasizing an event.
Radial Blur
A blur radiating outward from a center.
Speed Lines
Directional lines emphasizing speed or concentration.
Damage Vignette
Color or intensity at the screen edges indicating damage or danger.
Screen Distortion
An effect warping screen sample positions to create rippling or twisting.
CPU Particles
Particle simulation performed primarily on the CPU.