A

AR (Augmented Reality) – Technology that overlays digital content onto the real world via smartphones, AR glasses, or headsets. Example: IKEA Place app.

AI (Artificial Intelligence) – Powers NPCs, object detection, and scene understanding in AR/VR applications.

Anchors – Persistent digital points in physical space used in AR for placing virtual objects.

Asset Bundle – A package of assets used in game engines like Unity for building XR apps.

ARCore/ARKit – SDKs from Google and Apple that enable AR development on Android and iOS.

B

Binaural Audio – 3D audio system that enhances spatial immersion in VR.

Body Tracking – Tracks full-body movements using cameras, sensors, or suits.

Blending (Scene Blending) – Merging of real and virtual content in mixed reality.

Boundary System – Defines the safe movement area in room-scale VR (e.g., Oculus Guardian).

C

Computer Vision – Enables AR devices to recognize and interpret visual input.

Controller Tracking – Tracking position and orientation of handheld input devices.

CV (Curriculum Vitae) – Often tailored in XR careers to include project links, GitHub, or AR demos.

Cloud Anchors – Shared AR anchors enabling multi-user AR experiences.

D

Degrees of Freedom (DoF) – 3DoF allows rotation only; 6DoF includes positional tracking.

Digital Twin – A virtual representation of a real-world object or system in XR.

Depth Sensing – Measures distances in real-time for environment mapping and occlusion.

Display Latency – Delay between head movement and screen update—lower is better.

E

Extended Reality (XR) – Umbrella term for VR, AR, and MR technologies.

Eye Tracking – Detects where users are looking; useful for foveated rendering and UI interactions.

Environment Mapping – Rendering technique used to simulate reflective surfaces.

F

FOV (Field of View) – The extent of the observable world seen at any moment in XR.

Foveated Rendering – Prioritizes high-resolution rendering where the eye is focused.

Frame Rate – The speed at which frames are rendered. High FPS improves comfort.

G

Gesture Recognition – Detects and interprets human gestures as input in AR/VR.

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) – Critical for rendering immersive 3D environments.

Guardian System – VR safety feature that defines boundaries in physical space.

H

Haptics – Feedback via vibration or force to simulate touch in XR.

Hand Tracking – Detects and interprets hand movement without controllers.

HMD (Head-Mounted Display) – Wearable device with a screen for immersive visuals.

I

Immersive Content – Experiences designed to fully engage users in XR environments.

Inside-Out Tracking – Uses onboard sensors to track position without external cameras.

Image Recognition – Enables AR experiences to trigger from visual markers.

J

Jitter – Unwanted movement in visuals due to tracking or frame rate issues.

Joint Orientation – Used in body tracking to determine limb and joint angles.

K

Kinect – Microsoft's motion sensing device; an early influence on XR input.

Keyframe Animation – Animation technique widely used in 3D asset creation.

L

Latency – Delay between input and system response, crucial in XR to prevent motion sickness.

Light Estimation – AR feature that mimics real-world lighting on virtual objects.

M

Mixed Reality (MR) – Blends real and virtual worlds with realistic interaction.

Motion Capture (MoCap) – Records body movements for digital animation.

Marker-based AR – Uses images/objects to trigger AR experiences.

N

Navigation Mesh (NavMesh) – Defines walkable areas for NPCs and pathfinding in 3D environments.

Natural User Interface (NUI) – Interface that feels natural to use (e.g., gestures, gaze).

O

Occlusion – Realistic blocking of virtual objects by physical ones in AR.

Optical Flow – Computer vision method for detecting motion of objects.

P

Passthrough View – Real-world view streamed through cameras in MR/VR devices.

Pose Estimation – Detects human position and orientation in 3D space.

Photogrammetry – Converts real-world photos into 3D models.

Q

Quaternion – Math construct used for smooth 3D rotations without gimbal lock.

Quick Look (Apple) – AR viewer on iOS that lets users see 3D models in real space.

R

Rendering Pipeline – Sequence of steps to render 3D graphics.

Reticle – A fixed UI element (often a dot or ring) used in gaze-based interactions.

Reality Capture – Technology used to digitize the real world (LiDAR, photogrammetry).

S

SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) – Core AR tech that maps environments in real time.

Spatial Audio – Audio that changes based on user’s position and orientation.

SDK (Software Development Kit) – Set of tools to build AR/VR apps (e.g., ARKit, Oculus SDK).

T

Tracking Space – The physical space mapped and used for XR movement.

Teleportation (Locomotion) – Instant movement mechanic used in VR to prevent motion sickness.

Thin Clients – Lightweight XR devices relying on cloud processing.

U

UI (User Interface) – Visual layer of interaction in XR apps.

Unity – Popular real-time 3D engine for XR development.

Unreal Engine – Another leading 3D engine known for photorealism.

V

VR (Virtual Reality) – Fully immersive digital environment accessed through HMDs.

Volumetric Video – Captures 3D scenes that users can move around within.

VPS (Visual Positioning System) – Determines user’s location via visual landmarks.

W

WebXR – Web API for creating XR content that runs in browsers.

World Anchors – Persistent AR content tied to real-world locations.

X

XR (Extended Reality) – All immersive tech including AR, VR, and MR.

Y

Yaw – Rotation around the vertical axis; part of 3D orientation.

Y-axis – Vertical axis in 3D space; relevant for movement and positioning.

Z

Z-Depth – Used to determine how far an object is from the viewer.

Zero Latency – Ideal state of real-time interaction with no perceptible delay in XR.