How to Make CGI: A Complete Breakdown of the Process

Today, CGI graphics have become essential to visual content, helping brands stand out, craft impactful advertising campaigns, and capture audience attention. CGI unlocks limitless possibilities for creative projects, from photorealistic characters to expansive virtual worlds. In 2024, the net revenue of the CGI industry reached $1.271 billion, marking a 4.7% increase compared to the previous year. With CGI technologies gaining momentum, understanding how to create CGI for advertising, film, or video games is more important than ever.

Step 1: Thorough Planning

The first stage involves carefully developing the concept of the CGI project, and defining its objectives, target audience, and key requirements. If the project is outsourced to a graphics studio, filling out a brief becomes crucial.

A well-structured brief helps the team better understand the project’s goals, streamline the workflow, and minimize errors.

Key Elements of a Brief:

1. Objective of the CGI Project. Specify the purpose of the CGI content. For example, creating an advertisement for outdoor LED screens showcasing a new car model.
2. Target Audience. Highlight the key characteristics of the audience: gender, age, and interests. For instance, men aged 25–40, are car enthusiasts interested in premium vehicle models.
3. Style and Technical Details. CGI graphics can be photorealistic or animated, incorporating virtual and augmented reality technologies. Define the preferred color scheme, atmosphere, and technical requirements.
4. References. If you have a vision for how the CGI project should look, include examples such as screenshots, images, or video links.
5. Project Timeline and Budget. Clear deadlines and an estimated budget will help the studio properly allocate resources and organize the workflow.

Based on the completed brief, the script and storyboard are developed.

Step 2: 3D Modeling

Once the script is approved, designers begin creating 3D objects, characters, and environments, using sketches or concept art as references. Every detail is meticulously refined to achieve maximum realism in the final image.

Key Stages of 3D Modeling:

1. Blocking — the creation of basic object geometry using simple shapes (cubes, cylinders, spheres). This stage establishes the overall scene composition and proportions.
2. Polygonal Modeling — adding fine details, refining contours, and smoothing lines. Depending on the project, designers create either high-polygon or low-polygon models. High-poly models are used for realistic CGI videos and VFX. Low-poly models are designed for mobile applications, games, and AR/VR experiences.
3. UV Unwrapping — preparing the model for texturing. Proper UV mapping ensures that textures are applied accurately and without distortion.
4. Sculpting — enhancing details by adding fine elements like skin pores, wrinkles, scratches, or fabric folds.
5. Mesh Optimization — simplifying the model’s structure to ensure smooth animation and efficient rendering.
6. Preparation for Animation — creating a rigging system (bone structure) and skinning setup, enabling realistic character movements.

3D modeling is performed in professional software such as Cinema 4D, Blender, Maya, and Autodesk 3ds Max. In the article, we discussed how to choose the right software for CGI creation.

Step 3: Rigging

This stage involves assigning movement and poses to a 3D model. A skeletal structure is added to the model, with designated bend and movement points to define how it will animate. To facilitate easier manipulation, special controllers (Null objects) are created, allowing animators to adjust the model more efficiently.

For example, in The Last of Us Part II, rigging was essential in ensuring realistic character movements and interactions with the environment. Similarly, in M&M’s commercials, animated candies utilized complex rigs to achieve smooth and flexible motion.

Step 4: Adding Textures and Lighting

Texturing and lighting are crucial in CGI production, which transforms a raw 3D model into a realistic object. The process begins by defining the base texture—the object’s colour and primary surface appearance. Then, texture maps are applied to add details such as roughness, glossiness, transparency, or depth, depending on the project’s requirements. In the final stage, parameters like reflection, refraction, and subsurface scattering are adjusted—especially critical for rendering realistic skin, wax, or liquids.

High-quality textures are widely used in gaming. CGI in video games enables footprints in the snow, dynamic flying sand particles, stunning sunlight refractions, and flowing water effects, enhancing the immersive experience.

Proper lighting is essential in CGI to add depth and convey the scene’s atmosphere. Different types of lighting can be used:

1. Ambient Light. A base background light that evenly fills the scene and softens shadows.
2. Key Light. The primary light source that defines shadow direction and adds volume.
3. Fill Light. Illuminates shadowed areas to prevent them from being too dark.
4. Rim Light (Back Light). Creates a bright outline around the object, making it stand out from the background.
5. Global Illumination. Simulates realistic light scattering within the environment.
6. HDRI Lighting. Uses high-dynamic-range panoramic images (HDR) to generate realistic reflections and shadows.

Step 5. Rendering

Rendering is the process of converting 3D models, textures, and lighting into finalized scenes. This process can take several hours or even days. Therefore, before starting, it is crucial to ensure that the geometry is optimized and that textures and lighting are properly set up.

Depending on the project’s requirements, the following rendering methods can be used in CGI:

1. Realistic Rendering (Ray Tracing, Path Tracing). Simulates the physical behavior of light, creating realistic refractions, reflections, and shadows. It is commonly used in film and advertising.
2. Real-Time Rendering. Used in games, AR/VR, where high frame processing speed is essential.
3. Rasterization projects 3D objects onto a 2D plane using pixel calculations. It is widely used in gaming, social media animations, and low-detail video clips.

When finalising a scene, it is essential to maintain key rendering parameters to achieve higher detail quality: resolution, colour depth, global illumination, shadows, softness, and sampling. For instance, in a perfume advertisement, high-detail rendering enables an accurate depiction of the depth of a glass bottle and the soft highlights on its surface.

Step 6. Post-Production

The final stage of CGI content creation includes compositing, colour correction, and the application of VFX effects to ensure scene coherence and maximize visual impact. If the CGI content is created from scratch, compositing involves merging all layers and shadows into a single image. If the CGI scene is blended with live-action footage, the green screen is removed, and the background is created.

In addition to colour correction and VFX effects, the sound is added during post-production. This may include soundtracks and voiceovers.

How to Create CGI Graphics with Acquisition.mobi

CGI content plays a key role in modern marketing campaigns, helping brands create engaging and technology-driven advertising. At Acquisition.mobi, we utilize cutting-edge CGI technologies to develop content that doesn’t just showcase a product but turns it into a compelling story that captivates the audience.

CGI Services at Acquisition.mobi:

1. CGI Advertising. Creation of fully computer-generated commercials with high-detail visuals, realistic textures, advanced lighting effects, and cinematic storytelling.
2. 3D Animation & VFX. Visual effects enhance the impact of advertising campaigns, making them more expressive and memorable.
3. Interactive CGI Content. Development of AR and VR solutions, as well as 3D models for virtual product testing.
4. Mascots & Digital Characters. Creation of branded animated heroes, integrating them into live-action footage or digital platforms.
5. Advertising for Outdoor & Corner 3D Screens. Visual solutions with volumetric effects that maximize audience attention.
6. CGI Content for Games. Development of low-poly 3D models and animations optimized for mobile devices.

Want to learn how CGI can strengthen your brand? Contact us at info@acquisition.mobi.