Fold: A fold is a bend in an item or any other object.
Blob: A drop of a thick liquid or other viscous substance.
An exact yet rigorous form – Greg Lynn
Box: A container with a flat base and sides, typically square or rectangular and having a lid.
Analogue interactive elements: Doorhandles, light switches, windows, floor, stairs, sliding walls, phones, TVs
Digital interactive elements of architecture:
Nurb - Non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) is a mathematical model commonly used in computer graphics for generating and representing curves and surfaces which offers great flexibility and precision for handling both analytic and freeform shapes.
Open Source - Open-source software (OSS) is computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software.
Archicad - ArchiCAD is an architectural BIM CAD software for Macintosh and Windows. ArchiCAD is a complete design suite with 2D and 3D drafting, visualization and other functions for architects, designers and planners.
StudioMax - Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio MAX, is a modeling, animation and rendering package developed by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabilities, a flexible plugin architecture and can be used on the Microsoft Windows platform. In addition to its modeling and animation tools, the latest version of 3ds Max also features shaders (such as ambient occlusion and subsurface scattering), dynamic simulation, particle systems, radiosity, normal map creation and rendering, global illumination, a customizable user interface, and its own scripting language.
Cognative surplus - A word coined by former Silicon Alley Reporter columnist Clay Shirky to describe the free time that people have on their hands to engage in collaborative activities, specially as applies to web 2.0.
Ecotech- Analyzing material software
BIM - Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the process of generating and managing building data during its life cycle[1]. BIM involves representing a design as objects – vague and undefined, generic or product-specific, solid shapes or void-space oriented (like the shape of a room), that carry their geometry, relations and attributes. BIM design tools allow for extracting different views from a building model for drawing production and other uses. These different views are automatically consistent - in the sense that the objects are all of a consistent size, location, specification - since each object instance is defined only once, just as in reality. Drawing consistency eliminates many errors.[2]. Typically it uses three-dimensional, real-time, dynamic building modeling software to increase productivity in building design and construction.[2].The process produces the Building Information Model (also abbreviated BIM), which encompasses building geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, and quantities and properties of building components. Pieces can carry attributes for selecting and ordering them automatically, providing cost estimates and well as material tracking and ordering.[2].This method of management is more practical and efficient. It eliminates many of the uncertainties found during the construction phase since they can be found during the design phase of the project and fixed so they do not occur during the actual construction phase. Also, any changes during construction will be automatically updated to BIM and those changes will be made in the model. Modern BIM design tools go further. They define objects parametrically. That is, the objects are defined as parameters and relations to other objects, so that if a related object changes, this one will also.
Vector image - Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon(s), which are all based on mathematical equations, to represent images in computer graphics.
Vector graphics formats are complementary to raster graphics, which is the representation of images as an array of pixels, as is typically used for the representation of photographic images.[1] There are instances when working with vector tools and formats is the best practice, and instances when working with raster tools and formats is the best practice. There are times when both formats come together. An understanding of the advantages and limitations of each technology and the relationship between them is most likely to result in efficient and effective use of tools.
Computer displays are made up from grids of small rectangular cells called pixels. The picture is built up from these cells. The smaller and closer the cells are together, the better the quality of the image, but the bigger the file needed to store the data. If the number of pixels is kept constant, the size of each pixel will grow and the image becomes grainy (pixelated) when magnified, as the resolution of the eye enables it to pick out individual pixels.Vector graphics files store the lines, shapes and colors that make up an image as mathematical formulas. A vector graphics program uses these mathematical formulas to construct the screen image, building the best quality image possible, given the screen resolution. The mathematical formulas determine where the dots that make up the image should be placed for the best results when displaying the image. Since these formulas can produce an image scalable to any size and detail, the quality of the image is limited only by the resolution of the display, and the file size of vector data generating the image stays the same. Printing the image to paper will usually give a sharper, higher resolution output than printing it to the screen but can use exactly the same vector data file.
Raster image –
In computer graphics, a raster graphics image or bitmap is a data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of pixels, or points of color, viewable via a monitor, paper, or other display medium. Raster images are stored in image files with varying formats (see Comparison of graphics file formats).
A bitmap corresponds bit-for-bit with an image displayed on a screen, generally in the same format used for storage in the display's video memory, or maybe as a device-independent bitmap. A bitmap is technically characterized by the width and height of the image in pixels and by the number of bits per pixel (a color depth, which determines the number of colors it can represent).
The printing and prepress industries know raster graphics as contones (from "continuous tones") and refer to vector graphics as "line work".
Raster graphics are resolution dependent. They cannot scale up to an arbitrary resolution without loss of apparent quality. This property contrasts with the capabilities of vector graphics, which easily scale up to the quality of the device rendering them. Raster graphics deal more practically than vector graphics with photographs and photo-realistic images, while vector graphics often serve better for typesetting or for graphic design. Modern computer-monitors typically display about 72 to 130 pixels per inch (PPI), and some modern consumer printers can resolve 2400 dots per inch (DPI) or more; determining the most appropriate image resolution for a given printer-resolution can pose difficulties, since printed output may have a greater level of detail than a viewer can discern on a monitor. Typically, a resolution of 150 to 300 pixel per inch works well for 4-color process (CMYK) printing. 
STL file – Can be used for interchanging date between CAD/CAM systems
Alpha Channel - In graphics, a portion of each pixel's data that is reserved for transparency information. 32-bit graphics systems contain four channels -- three 8-bit channels for red, green, and blue (RGB) and one 8-bit alpha channel. The alpha channel is really a mask -- it specifies how the pixel's colors should be merged with another pixel when the two are overlaid, one on top of the other.
What is a channel?
First, let's talk about channels in general. Depending on the color mode used a color image automatically has either three or four channels. If you are using the RGB color mode (used for anything viewed on a screen) the image has three channels; red, green and blue. If you are using the CMYK color mode (used for printed materials) the image has four channels. The information within these channels, specify how much of each color is used to make the output color, such as indigo, orange, pink etc. These channels are standard in any color image.
What is an alpha channel?
The alpha channel is an additional channel that can be added to an image. It contains transparency information about the image, and depending on the type of alpha it can contain various levels of transparency. The alpha channel basically controls the transparency of all the other channels. By adding the alpha channel to an image you control the transparency of the red channel, green channel and the blue channel.
There are two types of alpha channels, pre-multiplied alpha and straight alpha. Which alpha type you use depends on the software being used.
0. Pre-multiplied Alpha (used by Photoshop)
0. Straight Alpha
Pre-multiplied alpha
In this case the colors of the foreground are blended with the colors of the background. At the same time the alpha blends from opaque to transparent.
Straight alpha
In straight alpha the foreground and background colors stay the same, and only the alpha channel is blended.
File types that support alpha
The following are the file type that support alpha channel:
0. TIFF
0. TGA
0. PNG
0. PSD (Photoshop)
0. GIF (special alpha)
TIFF, TGA, PNG, PSD and GIF all support alpha but really only PNG and GIF are used for applications, and the web. Gif, however, uses a special type of alpha. Instead of the alpha channel in a GIF image containing degrees of transparency it only has an on/off transparency. This means that pixels within a GIF image can either be fully opaque or fully transparent. There is no in between. PSD is the Photoshop format, and can be used in most Adobe applications.
How is the alpha channel used?
The alpha channel can be used in several different ways. In many instances the alpha channel is used to seamlessly layer images over any color background or over other images. This is seen constantly in image editing software such as Photoshop. When you open an image and place another image on top Photoshop automatically translates the alpha so that the image is properly anti-aliased and looks smooth and crisp. In other cases elements such as shadows can be properly displayed over various backgrounds, and images. Photoshop also uses alpha channels to hold clipping masks and selection areas. Alpha channels can also be used to display semi-transparent images over backgrounds, images and even other semi-transparent images.
What are the benefits of using alpha channels?
The biggest benefit of using alpha channels is visual appeal. Without alpha channels images layered over one another would not be anti-aliased, and therefore, would have a blocky jagged edge to them. This is not at all attractive. Another benefit of alpha channels is speed. When you save an image with the alpha channel all of the opacity levels are saved with it. You can then place that image over anything you like and the image will still maintain its appearance. This saves time because you can place the image directly over a background without the need to save that image in exactly the right spot over that exact background.
Additive colour - An additive color model involves light emitted directly from a source or illuminant of some sort. The additive reproduction process usually uses red, green and blue light to produce the other colors. Combining one of these additive primary colors with another in equal amounts produces the additive secondary colors cyan, magenta, and yellow. Combining all three primary lights
(colors) in equal intensities produces white. Varying the luminosity of each light (color) eventually reveals the full gamut of those three lights (colors).
Subtractive colour - A subtractive color model explains the mixing of paints, dyes, inks, and natural colorants to create a full range of colors, each caused by subtracting (that is, absorbing) some wavelengths of light and reflecting the others. The color that a surface displays depends on which colors of the electromagnetic spectrum are reflected by it and therefore made visible.
Subtractive color systems start with light, presumably white light. Colored inks, paints, or filters between the viewer and the light source or reflective surface subtract wavelengths from the light, giving it color. If the incident light is other than white, our visual mechanisms are able to compensate well, but not perfectly, often giving a flawed impression of the "true" color of the surface. 
Displacement mapping - is an alternative computer graphics technique in contrast to bump mapping, normal mapping, and parallax mapping, using a (procedural-) texture- or height map to cause an effect where the actual geometric position of points over the textured surface are displaced, often along the local surface normal, according to the value the texture function evaluates to at each point on the surface. It gives surfaces a great sense of depth and detail, permitting in particular self-occlusion, self-shadowing and silhouettes; on the other hand, it is the most costly of this class of techniques owing to the large amount of additional geometry.
For years, displacement mapping was a peculiarity of high-end rendering systems like PhotoRealistic RenderMan, while realtime APIs, like OpenGL and DirectX, were only starting to use this feature. One of the reasons for this is that the original implementation of displacement mapping required an adaptive tessellation of the surface in order to obtain enough micropolygons whose size matched the size of a pixel on the screen.
