9

930 Glossary
Dither ing
Square on the right shows dithering.
When converting an image w ith a palette of a
greaternumberofcolorstoanimagewithapalette
of fewer colors, dithering is a means of simulating
colors not in the more limited palette, by mixing
different-colored pixels together.
Dithering is also a method of smo othing the edges
between two color regions by mixing their pixels
so the edges appear to blend together.
If you are rendering for the limited colors of an
8-bit display (256 colors), you have the option of
turning on dithering. Dithering can help prevent a
banding effect in color gradients. Dithering does
increase the size of 8-bit files and can slow the
playback speed of anima tions. You might want to
tryapplyingmapstotheflatareasinthesceneto
see if that eliminates banding before you turn on
dithering.
By default, 3ds Max renders 64-bit color output.
Consequently, you also have the option of setting
dithering for tr uecolor (24 or 32-bit color) (page
3–1027). The Dither Tr ue Color option ensures
that you get the best qualit y on truecolor displays.
Yo u t u r n d i t h e r i n g o n a n d o f f i n t h e Rendering
panel (page 3–826) of the Preferences dialog. You
can also set dithering for scene motion blur in
Video Post. Here, dithering provides a s moothing
effect between the separate images making up the
"blur." Video Post dither is set as a percentage of
total dither.
Dock and Float
These terms describe manipulations to
user-interface elements, such as toolbars.
Yo u dock a toolbar, for example, w hen you align
itwiththeedgeofanotherinterfaceelement,
typically a window or panel.
Yo u float atoolbarwhenyoudetachitfroma
stationary posit ion, and reposition it elsewhere on
the desktop.
Double Suppor t Period
In footstep animation (page 3–943),aperiodwhere
both of the biped’s feet are on the ground.
Dummy Obj ect
A dummy object is a non-rendering object that
you use as an animation helper. The primary use
of the dummy helper object is to assist you in
creating complex motions and building complex
hierarchies. B ecause dummies are invisible in
the rendered scene, they are an excellent choice
for offset joints, connectors between objects, and
handles for manipulating complex hierarchies.
Breaking complex motions into simple
components often makes it easier to go back and
edit your animations. For example, consider
animating a bouncing ball mov ing around your
scene. You could animate the ball by properly
positioning it throughout the scene on many
frames. The drawback is that it would be ver y
difficult for you to go back and adjust the height of
thebounceorthepaththeballtakesthroughthe