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Glossary

This glossary defines the terms you should be familiar with while using Composer.
ActiveX:
Microsoft technology that enables third-party applications in Microsoft Office documents, Web pages, or other software (such as PLM applications).Composer Player ActiveX lets you see and interact with Composer files.
Actor:
Composer objects that appear in your 3D scenes: geometry, collaborative actors, Digger, and so on.
Anchor:
Small red squares or white circles on actor extremities that let you resize and move collaboration actors.
Animation mode:
Mode in which actors are animated.
Annotations:
Collaborative actors, such as labels and callouts, that describe geometry actors.
API:
Application programming interface. A set of methods that let two applications communicate.Composer Player ActiveX API lets you design Web pages, PowerPoint presentations, or third-party software that interact with Composer content.
Assembly branch:
Parent in a hierarchical relation.
Assembly leaf:
Child in a hierarchical relation.
Bounding box:
Imaginary parallelepiped volume that bounds a 3D actor.
Collaborative actors:
Composer objects that enhance your CAD models, such as annotations, markup, and measurements.
Coordinate system:
A set of planes used to assign Cartesian coordinates to actors.
Geometry actors:
Composer objects that represent the parts, assemblies, and components that comprise your CAD model.
Gizmo:
A graphic object that lets you manipulate actors in 3D. A gizmo typically, but not always, appears on actor pivots.
Global frame:
Origin frame of your scene.
HLR:
Hidden line removal. A view mode in which all model edges that are not visible from the current camera angle are removed from the display.
Key:
Represents an animation step created when changing properties.
Local frame:
Frame in which the actor's position is fixed.
Marker:
Chapter of the animation.
Memo3D:
An .smg file, which is composed of:
  • smgGeom: The geometry of the model.
  • smgXml: Enrichments such as animation, collaboration actors, properties, and views.
  • Resource files: Linked files, maps, and so on.
Mode:
A persistent Composer tool (such as translation or rotation) or behavior (such as animation and view modes). You can often exit a mode by pressing the Esc key.
Model:
3D representation of an object produced by computer-aided design (CAD) software such as CATIA and SolidWorks.
Neutral properties:
Default properties of an actor initially defined by the data that you import from the CAD system and your Composer settings. You can modify and restore neutral properties.
Package:
Auto-executable Composer file.
Pivot:
Point from which actor movement is computed. A pivot object, called a gizmo, helps you move the actor. The pivot and the local frame are located at the same place.
Properties:
Composer actor attributes (such as size, color, opacity) that you view and modify in the Properties pane. Geometry actors, collaborative actors, and the viewport all have properties.
Raster image:
2D bitmap image that might use a compression algorithm.
Root:
Top level of your assembly tree.
Scene:
All 2D and 3D actors visible in the viewport (models, annotations, ground, and so on).
Vector image:
2D image in which shapes are described in their mathematical form. Lets you move and change object appearances and positions in a post-processing piece of software.
View:
A snapshot of your scene properties that you can save and restore at any time.
View mode:
A mode in which you can modify actor properties and positions without altering animations.
Viewport:
3D display area of the Composer window where you navigate your scenes.


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