"Mapping" is a raytracing and rendering technique, which adds textures to the surface of shapes by two different methods:

1. color_map / pigment_map / texture_map / normal_map

This is a kind of surface design by a pattern of stripes of colors or pigments or textures or normal structures (color_map / pigment_map / texture_map / normal_map) with more or less turbulence. These stripes are calculated by a function (gradient<0,1,0> / agate / bozo / wood / etc.) distributed over the whole three dimensional space. If we add such a texture to an geometric object, so it is like cutting out this object from a block that is totally filled by this structure like wood.

We can move these textures to get another part of its structure on the surface of our object.

2. image_map / material_map

The second method we are thinking better as the projection of a diapositive on the objects - the only difference: it is also visitable on the backside! Here the image (allowed types are: iff, gif, tga, png, sys) is projected on the space in different kinds.