# Glossary

> Plain-language explanations of the computer and animation words used in this guide.

## Computer words

**apt** – the command that installs and updates software on Debian and Animux.

**BIOS / UEFI** – the small program inside a computer that starts before the operating system. UEFI is the modern kind; *Secure Boot* is a UEFI feature that may need to be switched off for Animux.

**Boot** – starting a computer. *Boot menu*: the list where you choose what to start.

**CPU (processor)** – the computer's main chip. Rendering speed depends a lot on its number of **cores**.

**Debian** – the Linux distribution Animux is built on.

**Distribution (distro)** – a complete Linux system with programs, like Animux.

**Firmware** – small programs needed by hardware such as Wi-Fi chips and graphics cards.

**GPU (graphics card)** – the chip that draws the screen; also used for fast 3D and rendering.

**Home folder (`~`)** – your personal folder, `/home/your-name`.

**ISO file** – a whole disc in one file.

**Linux** – the free operating system kernel at the heart of Animux, Android and most servers.

**Live session** – Animux running from the USB stick or ISO without installing; nothing is kept after a restart.

**Package** – a program prepared for installing with apt (a `.deb` file).

**Partition** – a section of a disk. A disk can hold several systems in separate partitions.

**RAM (memory)** – fast working memory; lost when the computer is switched off.

**Repository** – an online store of packages that apt installs from.

**sudo** – run one command as the administrator (root).

**Terminal** – a window for typing commands.

**Virtual machine (VM)** – a pretend computer that runs inside your real one.

**Xfce** – the desktop environment of Animux (panel, menu, windows).

## Animation and 3D words

**Animatic** – a storyboard timed with sound, to check the story before animating.

**Armature / rig** – the skeleton inside a character that animators move.

**Bitmap / raster** – a picture made of pixels (PNG, JPEG). Gets blurry when enlarged.

**Codec** – the method used to compress a video (H.264, ProRes) or sound (AAC).

**Compositing** – combining rendered layers, effects and colour correction into the final picture.

**EXR** – a high-quality image format with many layers and true light values, used in film.

**Frame** – one picture of a film. **fps** – frames per second (24 for film, 25 in Europe for TV, 30 for web/US).

**Image sequence** – one image file per frame (`shot_0001.png`, `shot_0002.png`…), the safest way to render.

**In-between (tween)** – the drawings between two key poses. *Tweening* = the computer makes them.

**Keyframe** – a frame where you set a value (position, rotation…); the program interpolates between keyframes.

**Material / shader** – how a surface looks: colour, shininess, transparency.

**Mesh** – a 3D object made of points (vertices), edges and faces (polygons).

**Modifier** – a non-destructive operation on an object in Blender (smoothing, mirror, array…).

**Onion skin** – seeing the previous and next frames faintly while drawing.

**Render** – calculating the final images from a scene. *Render farm*: many computers rendering together.

**Samples** – how many light paths a renderer traces per pixel. More samples = less noise, slower.

**Storyboard** – the film drawn as a sequence of panels, one per shot.

**Timeline** – the strip of frames along which you animate or edit.

**Turntable** – an animation of a model turning once around.

**USD, Alembic, FBX, glTF, OBJ** – 3D file formats for moving scenes and models between programs.

**Vector** – a picture made of shapes and curves (SVG); stays sharp at any size.

**Waypoint** – Synfig's name for a keyframe on one parameter.