CGI is one of the corner stones of film making today but it wasn't always the case as in 1973 the first 2D CGI effect was in west world in a sequence reminiscent of the first terminator film they create a man out of 2D cgi pixels and in the sequel future world (1975) they use new 3d cgi to create a 3d hand model on a monitor they accomplish this by getting a set of wire frames and modelling them in to the shape of the chosen object then adding a layer of color and detail to create a 3D image. with ought the advancements provided by the special effects work in these films cinema would in no way be the beast it is today.