Facetspecific

Facet-specific is an adjective used to describe properties, behaviors, or analyses that are defined for individual facets of a geometric object or crystal, rather than applied uniformly across an entire model. A facet refers to a single planar face of a polyhedron or to a crystallographic plane in solid-state science. The term is commonly used across disciplines such as geometry, computer graphics, materials science, and engineering to emphasize per-face detail.

In geometry, computer graphics, and mesh processing, facet-specific attributes include per-face color, material, texture coordinates, and shading normals. This approach allows greater visual or physical precision without altering vertex data, but it can produce discontinuities along edges where adjacent facets meet if attributes are not carefully managed.

In crystallography and surface science, facet-specific properties describe how different crystal facets—each corresponding to a particular lattice plane—exhibit unique surface energies, growth rates, adsorption tendencies, and reactive behavior. These anisotropic characteristics strongly influence crystal morphology, habit, and catalytic performance.

In engineering analysis, facet-specific properties may be assigned in finite element models or CAD workflows to reflect varying conditions on different faces, such as distinct boundary conditions, contact properties, or material behavior on separate surfaces. This can improve realism but adds complexity to modeling, meshing, and post-processing.

Overall, facet-specific approaches enable localized control and realism at the cost of increased data management and potential continuity challenges across facet boundaries. See also facet, polygon mesh, per-face attribute, and anisotropy.