Originally posted by brian_ellebracht
... What exactly is vector? Not sure what the exact term is, but by using vector you can render swf (flash) files.

Originally Posted by

• Bitmaps are images composed of a pixel reticule, in which each pixel has a RGB value, thus creating a big mosaic of pixels. This mosaic when seen from a distance -In reality this is resolution dependant- form an image. If you resample a bitmap image to a higher size, since you can´t invent information from nothing you´ll notice the mosaic nature of these images.
  A perfect example of bitmaps imagery is found here in SM, as all the images are bitmap-type.
  Bitmaps editing applications are your common photo image editors, such as PhotoImpact, MS Paint, and the industry standard Adobe Photoshop.
  
• Vector Graphics are images created by the use of mathematical formulas -thus the vector name, as they are governed by these mathematical principles-, which is why these are resolution independant. At whatever resolution you see them, they´ll look the same.
  These images can be seen in almost all the articles you have in your kitchen, house, car ... etc. They offer versatility in almost all aplications, they´re even used throughout the web -Flash images are vector based animations compressed for delivery on the Web-. Editing these images is quite similar to playing with curves in Maya, since the Bezier principles are almost the same -I say almost since I don´t know if Maya uses another type of mathematical curve-
  Most common vector editing applications are CorelDraw, Freehand, Flash ... and again an industry standard, Adobe´s Illustrator.