Computer-generated imagery, abbreviated CGI, is a process that uses computer software to generate static or animated visual images. CGI is also known as 3D imaging or 3D rendering. CGI is often used as a term for three-dimensional computer graphics used to create characters, scenes, and other special effects in motion pictures, television, and video games. This technology is also used in advertising, architecture, technology, virtual reality and even in art. Traditional photography involves taking an image with a film or digital camera, while computer-generated images are created using computer software. Three-dimensional (3D) results are often associated with computer-generated images (CGI). However, CGI is also able to create two-dimensional (2D) effects. The origins of computer-generated images can be traced back to the 1950s, when many inventors and companies experimented with the new and expanding field of computer animation. Although most of these were two-dimensional, they were used in a wide variety of fields ranging from science to engineering to medicine. Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock was the first film to contain computer-generated images (1958). CGI is also used in movies ranging from historical dramas to sci-fi blockbusters. In a historical drama, for example, it can be used to furnish places with contemporary details and to provide a constant backdrop, i.e. an environment that is populated with buildings, people and vehicles. In a science fiction movie, around 90% of the people, vehicles, locations, and action are depicted with CGI.
