Sprite effects

What is Sprite Effects?
Sprite effects are graphic images typically found on gaming multimedia that rotate based on the user's movement or camera rotation. A sprite is a series of images that represent themselves as an image or animation.
Sprite effects are actually flat and face the user even though their graphics give the effect of movement or change. Before 3-D graphics software, most computers included hardware-based sprites. Sprite effects capabilities were typically limited by how many hardware sprites could be generated.

Sprite effects can make objects look similar regardless of the viewing angle, although these effects are illusions. Shadow and light functions are prime examples of sprite effects in 3D graphics.