1976. The first 3D computer-generated imagery was created for the film Futureworld, in 1976. In the specific scene the hand and face of the actor was enhanced with the help of CGI technology. Futureworld made use of so called 2D digital compositing, in order to materialize characters over the background.
If we're talking about computer animation, the adoption of computer generated imagery, or CGI, the 1960s was the beginning of the 3D animation styles we know today. William Fetter, an employee of Boeing, is often credited as the inventor of computer-generated 3D graphics.
Released in 2009, “The Princess and the Frog” is Disney's last known 2D feature film. In the following year, “Tangled” kickstarted the studio's transition to the world of 3D animation, which later introduced audiences to beloved films like “Frozen” and “Moana.”
The movies made using 2D techniques didn't really fit the target, as they weren't realistic enough. 3D animation allowed the films to look more realistic and this technology was embraced despite the fact that it is harder to create such a film.
Most people recognize Disney's 1937 film Snow White as the first full-length animated film. However, Emile Cohl's 1908 film "Fantasmagorie" was technically the first 2D animated film. This traditional animation style used thousands of simple hand-drawn images combined in rapid succession to mimic movement.
In 2004, Disney closed its 2D animation studio and shifted its focus to 3-D animation, both from Pixar and produced in-house, including last year's hit “Encanto.” There are still some traces of old-fashioned animation at Disney, such as a sequence in “Moana” featuring hand-drawn, moving tattoos.
Catmull and Parke later came together to work on Futureworld, a major motion picture released in 1976. This set a precedent, as the first film to ever incorporate 3D computer-generated animations.
3D animation is expensive because it requires skilled professionals, powerful hardware and software, time-consuming production, rendering, and complexity, and often involves licensing and quality assurance expenses.
The movements in a 3D animation look hyper-realistic. 3D animation can also provide subtle details that give off a realistic perspective, such as moving shadows and varied shades of colour. 3D offers limitless options.
That said, 2D animations are typically cheaper than 3D animations because the latter requires more experience, skill, and resources. At the lower end of the spectrum, you can expect simple animations, usually only using 2D techniques.
The website's critical consensus reads "With a title character as three-dimensional as its lush animation and a story that adds fresh depth to Disney's time-tested formula, Moana is truly a family-friendly adventure for the ages."
In the '80s, University of Montreal was at the front run of Computer Animation with three successful short 3D animated films with 3D characters. In 1983, Philippe Bergeron, Nadia Magnenat Thalmann, and Daniel Thalmann directed Dream Flight, considered as the first 3D generated film telling a story.
Toy Story is a 1995 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the franchise of the same name, it was the first entirely computer-animated feature film, as well as the first feature film from Pixar.
The first time that CGI appeared in a film was with Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo in 1958 and the use of patterns for a 2D animation. A Computer Animated Hand by Edwin Catmull and Fred Parke is a 1972 short film that introduced 3D computer graphics, digitizing a hand with 350 triangles and polygons.
The diploma courses in 3D Animation are extremely important from an industrial point of view as it opens a wide range of opportunities for the students in various fields. The duration of the diploma and PG diploma 3D Animation Courses is around 1 to 2 years.
The cost of 3D animation per minute can start from $3000 for a simple explainer video and reach dozens of thousands for a Hollywood-made 3D cartoon. The type of three-dimensional graphics determines the cost of its production.
3D animation, also referred to as CGI, or just CG, is made by generating images using computers. That series of images are the frames of an animated shot.
As mentioned before, animation isn't something learned overnight. It's arguably one of the most difficult aspects within a 3D pipeline. It'll take lots of trial and error and most likely some frustration. You may have heard before that it takes a thousand bad drawings to get to those good drawings.
One minute of 2D animated video could cost from $8,000 to $50,000. 3D animation is much pricier, as it could cost from $10,000 to $200,000 per minute. The price range difference is based on the number of characters and advanced features.
The general rate for 3D animation is between $10,000 to $30,000 (€9,500 – €28,500) per Minute for different art styles and complexities. This pricing range can be divided into 2 categories: 3D animations with average quality and number of assets, which range from $10,000 to $20,000 (€9,500 – €19,000) per minute.
3D realistic animated video: This one varies from $1500-$5000 depending upon how much 3D modeling it requires. 3D creature animation: This one is the most expensive category and it can cost around $3500-$10000 for a mid-range project. While a high-end project would cost $200-$300 a second.
When referring to Walt Disney Animation Studio's long filmography, most point to 2009's The Princess and the Frog as the company's final movie produced in its signature 2D animated style.
In other words, in the original trilogy ILM invented and physically created the places and things they wanted to show; in the second trilogy, they built the same fully rendered spaceships, cities and characters using computer-generated imagery (CGI).
In 1937, Walt Disney Animation Studios released its first fully animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, pioneering a new form of family entertainment.
