Precise definition? Not sure. It depends on how you interpret the words, so several possible meanings could be valid.
But, it sounds like one of the things I do, which is 3D Solid Modeling, and graphical rendering of parts, assemblies and machines (or products). Various degrees of animation are also often employed. The design related programs are generically referred to as CAD programs. In this case we would be talking about the mid to high end products that have advanced features for solid and surface modeling, and typically incorporate at least some degree of animation or slide show type output to enable the demonstration of movement of the various parts of the model as they would move in actual operation.
It is a way to create a very detailed and accurate picture of something that does not (yet) exist in a physical manifestation or model, and/or demonstrate its operation.
Another possible interpretation is a mathamatical model that defines a system in terms of one variable vs. another. A simple example would be a regression model for two variables. In the technical sense this is a model as it is possible to predict the behaviour of a system by knowing the input. Practically, most systems are more complex and need more than one input to predict the output. Hope this helps.
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