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anisotropy / anisotropic filtering

A texture-quality feature that keeps surfaces sharp when viewed at a steep angle.

Anisotropic filtering samples a texture differently depending on the viewing angle, so surfaces seen edge-on — like a road stretching to the horizon — stay crisp instead of blurring. It costs more samples than simpler filtering, which is why it is a tunable quality setting. The name means 'direction-dependent,' the opposite of treating every direction the same.