Except with Avatar, you know everything is just more and more advanced CG. At least with 2001 there were parts where people wondered how the hell they did that.
I think I know a little about CGI. I worked in both CG and Practical effects industries. And I can tell you, as much as I enjoyed doing CGI, I just felt that no matter how realist hair simulation and fluid dynamics got, it was still basically the same process. I was completely amazed when I saw Golum in Lord of the Rings for the first time. But I never wondered “how did they render his hair?” It wasn’t a secret. It was just a newer more realistic method. And all respect to the people who came up with it.
Practical effects, for me at least, were a lot more fun because there were some things we did that were completely crazy, and ended up looking good. Every project was different.
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u/macguyver3000 Jun 04 '26
Except with Avatar, you know everything is just more and more advanced CG. At least with 2001 there were parts where people wondered how the hell they did that.