Glossary

Short, neutral definitions of Metashape-specific terms as they are used in this manual. Where Metashape's terminology has changed across versions, the current (2.x) term is the entry head and the historical term is noted.

This glossary is a stub. Entries are added as articles introduce terminology that needs a precise shared definition.

Tie point cloud

The sparse point cloud produced by photo alignment, before depth-map computation. Each tie point is observed in multiple cameras.

Point cloud

A dense point cloud computed from depth maps. Renamed in 2.x. In 1.x this was called dense cloud; the GUI command was Build Dense Cloud.

Depth maps

Per-camera distance images produced from a set of overlapping photos. The intermediate product between alignment and a point cloud or mesh in the default 2.x pipeline.

Chunk

A self-contained block of cameras, markers, and reconstructed products within a Metashape document. Multiple chunks can be aligned together and merged.

Marker

A user-placed control point referenced in the project. Can be a Ground Control Point (GCP), a check point, or simply a feature reference.

Optimization (camera)

The bundle-adjustment step that refines camera poses and intrinsics after alignment, typically combined with Gradual Selection of tie points.