Editing Texture mapping (section)

==History==
The original technique was pioneered by [[Edwin Catmull]] in 1974 as part of his doctoral thesis.<ref name="Catmull thesis">{{cite thesis|author-link=Edwin Catmull|last=Catmull|first=E.|year=1974|url=http://www.pixartouchbook.com/storage/catmull_thesis.pdf|title=A subdivision algorithm for computer display of curved surfaces|degree=PhD|publisher=University of Utah}}</ref>

Texture mapping originally referred to '''diffuse mapping''', a method that simply mapped [[pixel]]s from a texture to a [[Polygon mesh|3D surface]] ("wrapping" the image around the object). In recent decades, the advent of multi-pass rendering, [[multitexturing]], [[mipmap]]s, and more complex mappings such as [[height mapping]], [[bump mapping]], [[normal mapping]], [[displacement mapping]], [[reflection mapping]], [[specular mapping]], [[ambient occlusion|occlusion mapping]], and many other variations on the technique (controlled by a [[materials system]]) have made it possible to simulate near-[[Photorealistic rendering|photorealism]] in [[Real-time data|real time]] by vastly reducing the number of [[polygon]]s and lighting calculations needed to construct a realistic and functional 3D scene.

[[File:Bumpandopacity.png|thumb|280px|right|Examples of [[multitexturing]]:<br/>1:&nbsp;Untextured sphere, 2:&nbsp;Texture and bump maps, 3:&nbsp;Texture map only, 4:&nbsp;Opacity and texture maps]]