The appearance of a surface is defined by setting properties that define the material from which it is made. A texture can also be defined to improve the appearance of a surface (we will come back to textures in the next section).

Diffuse colour

Colour of reflected light from diffuse reflection (light scattered randomly)

Specular colour

Colour of reflected light from specular reflection (light reflected in a regular manner)

Emissive color

Colour of light emitted by a the surface

Ambient intensity

Amount of background light the surface reflects

Shininess

Amount of specular reflection (affects the size of the highlight)

Transparency

Transparency of the surface

Texture

Image mapped onto the surface to enhance it's appearance

Combinations of these properties can usually be stored in a library so that different objects can reuse the same appearance properties (sometimes called 'shaders').

Spheres with different surface characteristics: