Shading

= Shading =

The process of assigning values to the surfaces of objects, which control the way the surface interacts with light in the scene to create the object's color, specularity (highlights), reflective qualities, transparency, and refraction. Shading mimics the material that an object is supposed to be made of-- wood, plastic, metal, etc. The art of shading is understanding how the range of parameters will interact to create realistic or else imaginative effects. Also sometimes called surfacing.

See also Gouraud shading, Phong shading.