or z-buffering. In 3D computer graphics, applies both to the device and the techniques commonly used as an aid in removing hidden lines and hidden surfaces. If z-buffering is enabled, each pixel stores a depth value as well as a color value. In simple terms, the depth can be thought of as the distance from the viewer's eye to the pixel. Whenever a drawing routine tries to update a pixel, it first checks the current pixel's "depth" or "z-value" and will only update that pixel with new values if the new pixel is closer than the current pixel. The region of memory that stores the z-values is also referred to as the z-buffer.

Refering to the Z axis on a 3 dimentional plain, the Z buffer controls depth perception in 3d games.

A method used by high end computers to depict depth of objects on a computer screen. The Z-buffer is implemented within the hardware rendering engine of a computer, typically used on 3D modeling computers.