What was the first 3D CGI used in Star Trek?

This means I'm seeking the first three-dimensionally computer-modeled and rendered imagery used in Star Trek.

We know there was extensive 3D CGI used in DS9 (Odo) and Voyager (USS Voyager). But what is the earliest use in TNG or any of the TOS movies?

Note that to satisfy this question, there needs to have been a meaningful model built in 3D and then rendered, as I'm sure there was a lot of post-processing done by computer in TNG and there were many 2D images generated for effects (e.g. Okudagrams) and the line between what would constitute computer-generated 2D images and merely digital image manipulation would be kind of blurry. Manually generated images from multiple views that were meant to appear 3D do not count.

Answer

According to the CGI article on Memory Alpha:

The very first CGI used was in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, where Lucasfilm Graphics Group, then a subsidiary of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), was responsible for the "Project Genesis" demonstration sequence effect, the very first fully textured 3D CGI representation shown in the motion picture business to a general public.

So per to the article, which is thoroughly detailed on the use of CGI in the franchise, the first use of a fully textured 3D CGI then would be the Genesis Effect, seen here (1982):

As luck would have it, there's actually "making of" video available on youtube:

Comments

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