A
metallic color is a color that appears to be that of a polished
metal. The visual sensation usually associated with metals is its metallic
shine. This cannot be reproduced by a simple solid
color, because the shiny effect is due to the material's brightness varying with the surface angle to the light source. In addition, there is no mechanism for showing metallic or
fluorescent colors on a
computer without resorting to rendering software which simulates the action of light on a shiny surface. Consequently in
art and in
heraldry one would normally use a metallic paint that glitters like a real metal.