visual texture
an attribute of a two-dimensional figure or a two-dimensional rendering of a three-dimensional object that describes its surface characteristics. Visual texture is related to, but not the same as, texture in the tactile sense. For example, the words shiny or speckled describe visual texture, whereas smooth or wavy can also describe tactile texture. Gradients of visual texture are often used to infer depth in a two-dimensional scene and also indicate slant.