COMPUTER ANIMATION

As early as the 1940s and 50s,
experiments in
computer graphics were beginning,
most
notably by John Whitney—but it
was only by
the early 1960s when digital
computers had
become widely established, that
new avenues
for innovative computer graphics
blossomed.
Initially, uses were mainly for
scientific,
engineering and other research
purposes, but
artistic experimentation began to
make its
appearance by mid-1960s. By the
mid-70s,
many such efforts were beginning
to enter into
public media. Much computer
graphics at this
time involved 2-dimensional
imagery, though
increasingly, as computer power
improved,
efforts to achieve 3-dimensional
realism
become the emphasis. By the late
1980s,
photo-realistic 3D was beginning to
appear in
cinema movies, and by mid-90s
had developed
to the point where 3D animation
could be used
for entire feature film production.