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Additive manufacturing
Making a part by adding material layer by layer, as a 3D printer does, instead of cutting material away from a solid block.
Kerf
The width of material removed by a cutting tool or laser beam, so a cut part comes out slightly smaller than the line you drew.
Parametric modelling
Building a 3D model from dimensions and rules that stay editable, so changing one number rebuilds the whole model rather than forcing you to redraw it.
Raster graphic
An image stored as a fixed grid of coloured pixels, so enlarging it past its original size makes it look blocky or blurred.
Simulation
Using software to predict how a design would behave under real conditions, such as load, movement or heat, before anything is made.
Tool path
The route a cutting tool or laser head follows across the material, worked out from your drawing by software before the machine runs.
Vector graphic
An image stored as mathematical instructions for points, lines and curves, so it can be scaled to any size without losing sharpness.