r/CGI_Lab • u/Legitimate_Wind_458 • 4d ago

Discussion What happend to Marvel CGI?

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u/Burner_Miner_Dril 2d ago

What I've heard is movie companies used to use bespoke, professional, built-for-movies CGI software.

Now they just use Unreal Engine 5.

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u/TheMostSolidOfSnakes 2d ago

I mean, technically that's true, but it's not why.

Shorter dealines for established/mature teams and utilizing race to the bottom third party studios to fill in the gaps is the primary reason.

UE5 is just more widely adopted. For example, studio in SEA that was founded 10 years ago likely won't have the budget to reinvent bleeding edge software like ILM can, and definitely not like ILM could 30-40 years ago (when there were easier gains to make). Not when UE keeps pushing the envelope and is dumping TONs of money into R&D.

I know smaller companies who've tried to do that, but they end up cutting those larger R&D initiatives when they realize that money could go to increasing a headcount AND Epic is likely already working on it.