visualize

v., -ized, -iz·ing, -iz·es.

v.tr.

1. To form a mental image of; envisage: tried to visualize the scene as it was described.
2. To make visible.

v.intr.
To form a mental image.

visualization vi'su·al·i·za'tion (-ə-lĭ-zā'shən) n.

Using the computer to convert data into picture form. The most basic visualization is that of turning transaction data and summary information into charts and graphs. Visualization is used in computer-aided design (CAD) to render screen images into 3D models that can be viewed from all angles and which can also be animated. See scientific visualization and information visualization.

Download Computer Desktop Encyclopedia to your iPhone/iTouch

imaging

A method of training and preparation for performing a physical activity. You create a vivid, controlled image of a situation and imagine yourself coping successfully with it. Before David Hemery won the gold medal for the 400 metres hurdles in the 1968 Mexico Olympics, he visualized himself running in every lane, and imagined how he would cope with the race under different circumstances, but in every instance he pictured himself winning the race. Psychologists believe that visualization establishes neural pathways in the brain which act as a blue-print to be followed in the actual performance. There are different types of visualization: in external imaging, you imagine that you are an external observer watching yourself perform; in internal imaging, you imagine how you would feel if you performed a particular skill successfully. One computer program available in the USA is designed to help people to visualize how they would like to perform a particular activity. Users can create and modify their own images on the computer screen. The images can then be fixed in the mind prior to visualization. European bobsleigh teams already use virtual reality-type techniques for practice runs.

You can test your powers of visualization by imagining an experience (e.g. making a successful putt at golf) and then rate the vividness of your images using the following scale:

VIVIDNESS OF IMAGES	RATING
clear and vivid as the actual experience	5
moderately clear and vivid	4
not clear but recognizable	3
dim and hardly recognizable	2
thinking of experience but no image	1

If your rating was poor, you can improve your powers of visualization by relaxing and clearing your mind. Sit in a comfortable chair and listen to the sounds around you before visualizing so that the sounds do not distract you during visualization.

verb

To form mental images of: conceive, envisage, envision, fancy, fantasize, image, imagine, picture, see, think, vision. Informal feature. See thoughts.

A form of meditation where an image of a Buddha or some other divine being is creatively imagined for purposes of devotion or spiritual transformation. Pre- Mahāyāna Buddhist forms of visualization include the use of kasiṇas and other inanimate objects, while in early Mahāyāna such methods are taught in texts such as the Sukhāvatī-vyūha Sūtra and the Pratyutpanna Sūtra in connection with evoking the presence of an idealized form of a Buddha and his dwelling place. Visualization was further developed to form the cornerstone of tantric practice (sādhana) in which an individual creates an image of a divine being for the purposes of self-identification and transformation.

A form of mental practice in which an athlete creates a vivid, controlled visual image of a game situation and imagines how he or she will cope successfully with it. See also external imagery, internal imagery.

The act of viewing or of achieving a complete visual impression of an object.

Visualize

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - visualisere, danne sig et billede af, forestille sig, gøre synlig
v. intr. - visualisere

Nederlands (Dutch)
zich voorstellen, zichtbaar maken, uitleggen, visualiseren

Français (French)
v. tr. - s'imaginer, se représenter, envisager, (Méd) lire/voir à travers une radiographie
v. intr. - s'imaginer, se représenter, envisager

Deutsch (German)
v. - sich vorstellen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - συλλαμβάνω νοερά, οραματίζομαι, φαντάζομαι

Italiano (Italian)
visualizzare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - visualizar, imaginar

Русский (Russian)
представлять в воображении, делать видимым, визуализировать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - visualizar, imaginar, prever, imaginarse, representarse en la mente
v. intr. - formarse una imagen mental

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - föreställa sig, göra synlig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
形象, 想象, 形象化, 显现

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 形象, 想象, 形象化
v. intr. - 想象, 顯現

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 눈에 보이게 하다, 상상하다, 예견하다
v. intr. - 눈에 보이게 되다, 영상을 마음 속에 그리다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 心に描く, 視覚化する, 思い浮かべる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) تصور, تخيل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮דמיין, ראה בדמיון, ראה בעיני-הרוח, עשה לנראה לעין‬
v. intr. - ‮דמיין, ראה בדמיון, ראה בעיני-הרוח‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.