S

sample: The position of a sensor recorded by each camera at each frame. All samples from each camera generate a three-dimensional representation of each sensor’s position in time when processed.

See also keyframe .
saturation: A property that helps determine the chrominance and contrast of the color of an object.
scaling: The process of enlarging an object by moving all the points outward from the object's center, or shrinking it by drawing them all in toward that center.
scene: A representation of a three-dimensional world in which objects are placed and animated using a coordinate system.

See also 3D coordinate space .
scrubbing: The process of playing through audio or animation either forward or backward.
segment: The data captured from an optical motion capture session.

See also current segment , and motion capture .
sensor: A reflector or light source attached to a performer’s body. Sensors are tracked by optical cameras during the capture process. Captured data is combined to create segments.

See also motion capture and segment .
serial port: Also referred to as a COM port, a port that uses a special communication protocol to control the flow of data between devices, allowing the transfer to be made at a higher speed.
shader: In 3D modeling, the term “shader” is used to describe an algorithm that specifies how a surface responds to light. In MotionBuilder, “shaders” are assets that you apply to models to create different types of effects. Various types of shaders can define how a surface responds to light, or create special effects like cartoon outlines and bump mapping. You can also use shaders to generate shadow maps and light maps for scenes with a static light source.

MotionBuilder also supports custom shaders created using the Open Reality^® SDK.
Shadow map: A .tiff image of the shadow created by the Shadow Map shader, projected onto planes and objects in a scene.
shape: In the Character Face settings, a Character Face modified to portray a particular expression, such as “angry”.

See also character face .
shape animations
shape operators: Also referred to as morph targets, special operators for use with models that have shape animations.
shininess: Shininess controls the intensity of specular color. It also controls how much the material reflects other objects in the scene.
shuttling: The action of fast-forwarding or rewinding through audio or animation while the audio is playing. A faster form of Jogging.
simple constraint: Constraints that use a pre-defined list of constrained objects and source objects.
skeleton: A set of points representing the joints, and of connecting lines representing the bones.
skin: The mesh of vertices that envelopes a 3D character, creating its shape.
SMPTE: Refers to the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) founded in 1916 to advance theory and development in the motion imaging field.
solving: The process of calculating the position of both the forward kinematics and inverse kinematics rigs, then applying these results to the linked model while observing the settings in the Character Settings pane.

The results of calculating each rig. For example, IK solving refers to the result of calculating the IK rig.

In MotionBuilder, the result of all calculations, rigs, and settings when using the character engine.
source object: An object on which a constraint is based.

See also constraint .
specular color: The color of highlights of an object that has a shiny surface.

The shininess or reflectiveness of the object. The color of the light of a specular reflection.

See also .
specular reflection: The type of reflection that is characteristic of light reflected from a shiny surface.
Sphere map: A reflection type that causes a 3D object to reflect the contents of its scene from only one point of view.
Spherical map: A reflection type that causes a 3D object to reflect the contents of its scene.
spline: A curve that is defined using control points.
stabilizing object: A sensor, a node from a skeleton, or a model from a hierarchy of models that stabilizes the entire blending object and corrects problems such as foot sliding.

See also blending object .
stack: A data structure for storing items which are to be accessed in last-in first-out order.
stance: The starting or rest pose of a model.
SteeringWheels: Tool set that provides access to 2D and 3D navigation tools.
subcarrier: Also referred to as the SC, in NTSC or PAL video, a continuous sine wave of extremely accurate frequency which constitutes a portion of the video signal. The subcarrier carries picture hue and color saturation information.
swapping: A problem with optical motion capture wherein two markers either cross or pass close to each other, causing the capture system to misinterpret the markers and label the segments incorrectly.

See also motion capture .

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