A 3D render (or still) is a 2D image and the final product of the 3D rendering process. Essentially, a 3D render is a still image of a 3D model. Industry uses 3D render and 3D rendering interchangeably. A 3D render can be either photo-realistic or non-photorealistic.
Some common visible features to describe a 3D render are as follows:
- Shading – the brightness and colour of a surface.
- Shadow – the effect of restricting light.
- Reflection – the mirror-effect of a surface.
- Diffraction – the effect of interfering with light.
- Sub-Surface Scattering – simulating dispersion of light within a translucent object.
- Texture-Mapping – the process of adding details to surfaces. Generally done by applying an image.
- Bump-Mapping – the process of adding surfaces small-scale bumps.
