Depth Cues: Creating the Illusion of Depth - Flash 3D: Animation, Interactivity, and Games - page 29

Figure 2.18 Anatomy of a Flash cartoon character
Our superhero looks rather flat. This is a result of the vector artwork. There are two
types of graphics you can create on the computer: vector and raster. Flash creates vec-
tor graphics. This type of graphic is created from the lines, curves, and fills that make
up its geometry. The resulting image is small in file size but not photorealistic.
Raster graphics, also called bitmaps, are made up of tiny units called pixels. Pixels are
grouped together in a grid that forms the image. The resulting image can be photo-
realistic but larger in file size. Another drawback to raster images is scalability. Vector
graphics use math to store and create an image. This makes them resolution-indepen-
dent. They can be scaled without losing detail. If a raster graphic is scaled too large,
the pixel grid will become noticeable, creating a pixellated image (Figure 2.19).
Figure 2.19 Vector graphics versus raster graphics