Some while ago back (waves hand ambiguously) there seemed to be an effort among the technically informed to distinguish “CG” for computer graphics from the misused term “CGI”, which has nothing to do with animation but means Common Gateway Interface.
It has always bugged me that CGI has been used as a term for animation. It seemed that those in the know at least (animators, game programmers, movie industry folks) tried to maintain CG as the preferred usage.
Now, it appears the world has given up. I see everyone now using CGI everywhere, gaming sites, movie reviews, trade magazines.
Is the world just going to see me as some stubborn curmudgeon as I continue to yell “It’s CG dammit!”?
What happened to the noble practice of pedantry that we so prize around here?
CGI = Computer Generated Imagry. So there.
Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go to the bank to get some cash so I can replace my PCV valve. If only I could remember what my PIN number is…
“CGI” was used to mean “Computer generated imagery” before it was used to mean “common gateway interface.” If you read backissues of special effects trade publications, you’ll note that “CGI” was the standard abbreviation even in the mid-eighties. “CG” has only been used recently, to avoid confusion. People in the industry continue to use “CGI,” since they are rarely concerned with database scripting.
Your argument is sort of like saying ‘Stop calling those B’nai B’rith anti-defamation people “ADL!” “ADL” means “API Definition Language!”’
If I had to guess, I would say CG didn’t come into favor because it’s one letter short of being a Three Letter Acronym, one of those weird quriks of modern day language that seem to pop up often.
It would be stupid to give a valuable 3-letter acronym to a specific technology (Common Gateway Interface) over a general term (Computer-Generated Imagery). The former is now obsolete, while the latter is, if anything, only getting more relevant.
Absolute: What’s more, Computer-Generated Images and the Common Gateway Interface are in two different fields. There is no chance of getting them confused in conversation.
Both the OP and your post miss that very salient fact.
I believe the term CGI has been preferred until recently, because CG was already in use for character generator. That was (and is) the term for the titling hardware used to key text over video and film, such as for news supers or film credits.
The character generator was one of a group of devices used to generate graphics, including digital video recorders, still stores and paint systems. In recent years, these disparate technologies have started to consolidate into single products, and CG is a fairly meaningless term. Instead, equipment tends to be called by its brand name rather than a general category.
So, with CG in less frequent use to describe character generation, it seems to be slowly making its way to computer graphics in general.
