What is CGI Animation

Using computers to generate animations, has revolutionized the way we view animated images today. Although CGI animation was used for creating 2D images, it was the use of 3D computer graphics in films and televisions, which raised the bar for computer imagery.

CGI Animation: Definition and Techniques

A subset of the broad field of animation, CGI or computer-generated imagery, can be defined as the use of computers for creating moving images. Using certain 3D animation software tools like Maya, 3ds Max or Blender, the first step of CGI animation, involves creating a 'wire frame' or a geometric model of the object. Now, the surface appearance of the object has to be determined. This involves providing color, texture, reflectivity and transparency to the objects in question, with the help of tools known as 'shaders'. The final step in the animation process, involves the computer rendering of the entire scene. This involves the calculation of the color of the pixels in the scene, which determines the shading, texture mapping, reflection, refraction and photo-realistic rendering. This may sound simple, but given the millions of pixels in a high definition scene, providing the realistic animal movements, skin, hair and fur, is still quite a complex task. Not to mention the problems areas of introducing features like liquids, gases and complex surfaces, like the texture of the face and the clothing.

A simpler method of adding movement to the objects, is by duplicating an image, displayed on the computer screen and repeatedly replacing this new image, that is similar to the previous image, but slightly advanced in the time domain. Thus, using persistence of vision, the illusion of smooth movement is provided by drawing the pictures at 12 fps (frames per second). In a computer generated image, this is achieved by changing the values of the segments of the skeletal model over time, making the character move from frame to frame. There are several methods for achieving that realistic motion, such as keyframing to motion capture.

The Future of CGI Animation

Technological change is an inevitable part of life, and therein lies the uncertain future of CGI animation. Although people have increasingly taken to the animated bugs, monsters and animals, it is the creation of a photorealistic animation of humans, that remains out of reach for CGI animators. To replicate the complex human emotions and movements as a 3D animation, remains the goal for all animators. However, complete human realism, where there is no distinguishing between a particular movie sequence that is computer-generated or created using real actors in front of movie cameras, seems an unachievable dream. However with the rapid development of the personal computers, that has reduced their rendering time quite significantly, and the images having become more realistic, CGI animation future is very bright, it seems.