Re: Shape Terminology

[Michael J. Mahon <mjmahon@aol.com>]

D Finnigan <dog_cow@macgui.com> wrote:
> I was wondering if the Apple community would agree with the following hi-res
> shape terminology:
> 
> - shape: a hi-res graphic, defined by a series of vectors, able to be
> rotated, scaled, and positioned on the screen
> 
> - shape definition: a series of vectors that define a shape
> 
> - shape directory: [synonym for shape index]
> 
> - shape index: a block of memory forming the top of a shape table,
> containing the total number of shapes and their starting offsets
> 
> - shape table: a block of memory that includes both a shape index and one or
> more shape definitions

That looks pretty good to me, except that instead of "top" of a shape
table, I'd say "start", since top usually refers to the highest address of
a memory structure but is ambiguous. 

In computer graphics in general, "shape" is usually qualified by "vector"
or "block", but in the context of the Apple II and AppleSoft, "shape" is
sufficiently unambiguous when used alone. 

-michael - NadaNet 3.1 and AppleCrate II: http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon