renderen

Renderen, or rendering, is the process of generating an image from a model or scene by a computer program. The term is used in Dutch to describe image synthesis and related output in several domains, including computer graphics, typography, and web rendering.

In computer graphics, renderen converts a 3D description—geometry, textures, lights, and camera parameters—into a 2D image. Rendering techniques range from real-time rasterization, used in video games, to physically based ray tracing and path tracing, used for high-fidelity images and films. Modern renderers may compute global illumination, reflections, soft shadows, and depth of field. The result is typically a still frame or an animation sequence.

In typography, font rendering converts vector glyphs into pixels for display, employing anti-aliasing, hinting, and optionally subpixel rendering to improve readability at small sizes.

In web browsers, rendering is the process of turning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript into pixels on screen. The pipeline includes parsing, constructing the render tree, layout (reflow), painting, and compositing. Performance depends on document complexity, styles, and scripting, and is often accelerated by the GPU.

Other uses include rendering in video production (encoding frames into a digital video) and in architectural or product visualization. Rendering software ranges from free, open-source tools to commercial packages and game engines.