Tuesday, January 22, 2008
5 CGI Scripts You Must Use to Turn Your Site Into a Powerhouse
HTML is great. But what really makes your site super powerful? The Backend or the processes running in the background that make everything on your website really click. And what powers the backend? CGI Scripts. Some of you may know what CGI scripts are and others may not. CGI scripts are the key to creating interactive websites that automate your online business. Instead of getting too technical about scripts, lets talk about 5 powerful CGI scripts that every website should have if they have any desire to conduct E-commerce. Number 1: First off, you must have forms on your website. You should be utilizing forms for everything including retrieving demographic information from your visitors to processing credit card orders. You can also use forms to send contact information so that your visitors do not have to use email to contact you. The beauty of forms is that not only can you retrieve the information you request, you can also include hidden fields to be submitted with each form so that you know certain information like what website the visitor came from, their IP address (useful for fraud protection) and much more. Some form scripts even let you send autoresponses to the submitter. So, for example if someone fills in a form to sign up for a newsletter, you can send them an automated reply thanking them for their submission and including basically anything you want without having to lift a finger. Number 2: The next script every site should be using is a "recommend it" script. This is a script that allows your site visitors to recommend your site to their friends and contacts. Do not underestimate the power of this little tool. The recommend it script on our site at http://www.goldbar.net/recomm.html brings in tons of traffic and prospects that we may never have gotten on our own. The power of referrals should never, ever be underestimated. It is far more effective to have someone recommend your site to their contacts then it is to advertise. I use the Master Recommend script from William Bontrager, available for free at: http://www.willmaster.com Number 3: Affiliate Software. Without a doubt, one of the best investments you can ever make if you have your own product or service is in affiliate software. While usually not cheap it is by far one of the best methods of growing traffic to your site and exploding your sales. Many people advocate using a 3rd party affiliate company such as Commission Junction to manage their affilate programs. This is fine if you are a big company with a huge budget to WASTE on administrative fees and obscure technical charges. But, if you are a small to midsized company and you want to utilize the awesome power of a strictly commissioned salesforce sending you traffic and sales, you would be crazy to not consider purchasing affiliate software and installing it on your own site (or having it installed for you). Some affiliate scripts are so advanced that you can click one button on the administrative interface and send all the months commissions to a check writing program and have the checks printed out and all you will have to do is sign them. Number 4: Follow Up Autoresponders: Without a doubt, everyone should be using automated follow up mechanisms to: A. Capture the email addresses of targeted prospects interested in your products/services. B. Send a series of sequential, timed messages that trigger return visits to your website and turn potential onetime website visitors into return prospects. c. Remind customers about additional products and services that they may wish to order in the future or add to their current order. These are easy to maintain once they are installed on your site. All you have to do is write the email responses you want your prospects to receive and then upload them to your server. Then tell the script how long a time interval to wait before sending the next message in the sequence. An important point when using follow up autoresponders: make sure they offer an unsubscribe feature so that the recipients can opt out if they choose to. There are many great scripts out there that you can install on your own site. This will save you the monthly fees of using a hosted service but if you choose to use a third party tool, probably the best one is available from getresponse: http://www.getresponse.com/?13323 Number 5: An error catcher. This may sound like a crazy tool to include in this list but bear with me. How many of you have tried to click on a link and found yourself on a 404 error page. Most web surfers who encounter this error immediately leave your site never to return again.This is probably the worst thing that could happen to an internet business. What if you could create a page that said, OOPS you reached this page in error but why not visit the rest of the site? This is certainly more enticing and if created properly can help keep a surfer on your site as opposed to off it. On our site, we use a script that catches errors and delivers a webpage apologizing for the mistake and offering other links to pages on our site. We have saved many visitors this way and we have also created many subscribers and customers through this method. If you want to see how it works, try this link http://www.goldbar.net/mistake.html The script we used to create these pages is freely available and can be set to email you when someone reaches a 404 page and also help you determine if anyone is trying to hack into your site or if a CGI script is not working. It is called errorbot.cgi and can be found at http://www.perlarchive.com These 5 scripts can make or break an internet business so why dont more people use them? I believe they don't have a clue how to install them. If anyone wishes to have CGI scripts on their site but needs help installing them, you can usually get help from the programmer or visit a site like http://www.cgiguru.com who will usually install scripts for a nominal fee. CGI scripts have been around since the advent of commerce on the internet and continue to power the best sites. Even with new technologies such as ASP, Cold Fusion and PHP on the rise, CGI is the oldest and still the best. Why not get these 5 scripts running on your website and start powering your way to new profits.
Why Aren't You Using CGI
The very name CGI used to send chills up my spine. For years I put it in the 'too-hard-basket'. But like most things in life, CGI is not as scary as it seems. If you have a cgi directory on your website and you know how to FTP files, chances are you can have a CGI script up and running in less than 20 minutes.
CGI (Common Gateway Interface) is not a programming language but a standard that allows visitors to interact with your website. CGI scripts can be written in a number of different languages but most are written in Perl (Practical Extraction and Reporting Language).
This article gives you details of five free CGI scripts that will do the following:
1. Mail out your Newsletter from your server 2. Track the number of times your free E-Book is downloaded 3. Rotate banners on your website 4. Create your own auto responders 5. Allow visitors to recommend your website to friends
At the end of this article are details of where to download these 5 free scripts. But first, here are some basic guidelines on how to configure and install CGI scripts:
1. CGI programs usually come in a zip file. Unzip the file and open the README file. This document will give you instructions for configuring the program file.
2. Open the program file using a text editor such as NOTEPAD (the program file will usually have the file extension .cgi but may have other extensions such as .pl).
In most CGI programs you will have to configure the following 4 items:
(a) the path to perl
This is where the perl program resides on your server. The path will usually be:
#!/usr/bin/perl
but could be:
#!/usr/local/bin/perl
If you're unsure what your 'path to perl' is, check your web host's online 'manual' or FAQs. If you can't find it there, simply ask your web host.
(b) the path to sendmail
Most CGI programs notify you when your visitors have completed a particular action, and for that, the program needs to know where the 'sendmail' program resides on your server. The path to your UNIX sendmail program will usually be: /usr/sbin/sendmail
But it could also be something like this: /usr/lib/sendmail
Again, check the documentation on your web host's website, or simply ask your web host.
(c) the absolute path to your CGI directory
The absolute path tells the CGI program exactly where to find the file (or files) that it needs to open. Unfortunately, the absolute path to your CGI directory is not something you will be able to guess or deduce - it is completely arbitrary and depends entirely on how the system administrator at your web host has partitioned your host's hard drive.
The easiest way to find out your absolute path is to ask your web host. Another way is by using telnet - just type in pwd (print working directory) and that should give you your absolute path.
(d) Your email address
This is the address that the CGI program will use to notify you when an action has been completed.
3. Uploading
Upload the program files to your cgi-bin (or a directory off your cgi-bin) using ASCII mode. Never use BINARY mode, as this will play havoc with the line-breaks in the script.
4. Set the File Permissions using CHMOD
CHMOD (changing mode) is the term for setting security permissions on files. The README file will usually tell you the permissions that you need to set for each file. The script file will need to be set to 755. This allows the file's owner to read, write, and execute the file; anyone else can only read and execute it.
You can set the permissions using telnet, but the easiest way is to use the built-in option in your FTP program.
5. Calling the Script
Now that you've configured the script, uploaded it and set the permissions, it's time to try it out! You do this by 'calling the script' using a URL in an HTML document. This is what the URL for calling your script will normally look like:
http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/script.cgi
Again, the README file should have specific instructions on how to call the script. In addition, most CGI programs are accompanied by a web page that contains the form your visitors would use to call the script.
And now here are the details of the 5 free CGI scripts I mentioned earlier:
----------------------- Subscribe Me Lite -----------------------
Subscribe Me Lite is a program that allows prospects/customers to automatically subscribe and/or unsubscribe themselves from your mailing list. It has a built-in mass mailing form for sending out your newsletter or updates.
More Information: http://www.cgiscriptcenter.com/subscribe/index2.html
----------------------- Rob's File Tracker -----------------------
Rob's File Tracker is a perl script that counts file downloads or click-thrus to any file. Very useful if you want to know how many people are downloading your free E-Book.
More Information: http://www.robplanet.com/cgi racker/
----------------------- AdRotate Pro -----------------------
AdRotate Pro is an ad rotation program that's easy to setup and easy to use. Features include unlimited rotations, expiry by date, views or clicks, default ads for when all ads are expired, and customer reports.
More Information: http://www.vanbrunt.com/adrotate/
----------------------- MasterRecommend -----------------------
This script allows visitors to recommend your website to a friend by sending an email, without leaving your website. The program will also send you a copy of your visitor's message (nice to know what your visitors think about your website).
More Information: http://www.willmaster.com/master/recommend/MasterRecommendmanual.html
----------------------- Master Auto-Responder -----------------------
This is a standard auto-responder program. The script allows you to set the "From:" and "Subject:" lines for your auto-response.You can also choose to receive a copy of each email that the auto-responder receives.
More Information: http://mastercgi.com/howtoinfo/howautoresponderswork.shtml
If you need more help installing your CGI scripts, here are two excellent free tutorials:
http://spider-food.net/install-a-cgi-script.html http://www.stefan-pettersson.nu/scripts utorials/installcgi.html
CGI (Common Gateway Interface) is not a programming language but a standard that allows visitors to interact with your website. CGI scripts can be written in a number of different languages but most are written in Perl (Practical Extraction and Reporting Language).
This article gives you details of five free CGI scripts that will do the following:
1. Mail out your Newsletter from your server 2. Track the number of times your free E-Book is downloaded 3. Rotate banners on your website 4. Create your own auto responders 5. Allow visitors to recommend your website to friends
At the end of this article are details of where to download these 5 free scripts. But first, here are some basic guidelines on how to configure and install CGI scripts:
1. CGI programs usually come in a zip file. Unzip the file and open the README file. This document will give you instructions for configuring the program file.
2. Open the program file using a text editor such as NOTEPAD (the program file will usually have the file extension .cgi but may have other extensions such as .pl).
In most CGI programs you will have to configure the following 4 items:
(a) the path to perl
This is where the perl program resides on your server. The path will usually be:
#!/usr/bin/perl
but could be:
#!/usr/local/bin/perl
If you're unsure what your 'path to perl' is, check your web host's online 'manual' or FAQs. If you can't find it there, simply ask your web host.
(b) the path to sendmail
Most CGI programs notify you when your visitors have completed a particular action, and for that, the program needs to know where the 'sendmail' program resides on your server. The path to your UNIX sendmail program will usually be: /usr/sbin/sendmail
But it could also be something like this: /usr/lib/sendmail
Again, check the documentation on your web host's website, or simply ask your web host.
(c) the absolute path to your CGI directory
The absolute path tells the CGI program exactly where to find the file (or files) that it needs to open. Unfortunately, the absolute path to your CGI directory is not something you will be able to guess or deduce - it is completely arbitrary and depends entirely on how the system administrator at your web host has partitioned your host's hard drive.
The easiest way to find out your absolute path is to ask your web host. Another way is by using telnet - just type in pwd (print working directory) and that should give you your absolute path.
(d) Your email address
This is the address that the CGI program will use to notify you when an action has been completed.
3. Uploading
Upload the program files to your cgi-bin (or a directory off your cgi-bin) using ASCII mode. Never use BINARY mode, as this will play havoc with the line-breaks in the script.
4. Set the File Permissions using CHMOD
CHMOD (changing mode) is the term for setting security permissions on files. The README file will usually tell you the permissions that you need to set for each file. The script file will need to be set to 755. This allows the file's owner to read, write, and execute the file; anyone else can only read and execute it.
You can set the permissions using telnet, but the easiest way is to use the built-in option in your FTP program.
5. Calling the Script
Now that you've configured the script, uploaded it and set the permissions, it's time to try it out! You do this by 'calling the script' using a URL in an HTML document. This is what the URL for calling your script will normally look like:
http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/script.cgi
Again, the README file should have specific instructions on how to call the script. In addition, most CGI programs are accompanied by a web page that contains the form your visitors would use to call the script.
And now here are the details of the 5 free CGI scripts I mentioned earlier:
----------------------- Subscribe Me Lite -----------------------
Subscribe Me Lite is a program that allows prospects/customers to automatically subscribe and/or unsubscribe themselves from your mailing list. It has a built-in mass mailing form for sending out your newsletter or updates.
More Information: http://www.cgiscriptcenter.com/subscribe/index2.html
----------------------- Rob's File Tracker -----------------------
Rob's File Tracker is a perl script that counts file downloads or click-thrus to any file. Very useful if you want to know how many people are downloading your free E-Book.
More Information: http://www.robplanet.com/cgi racker/
----------------------- AdRotate Pro -----------------------
AdRotate Pro is an ad rotation program that's easy to setup and easy to use. Features include unlimited rotations, expiry by date, views or clicks, default ads for when all ads are expired, and customer reports.
More Information: http://www.vanbrunt.com/adrotate/
----------------------- MasterRecommend -----------------------
This script allows visitors to recommend your website to a friend by sending an email, without leaving your website. The program will also send you a copy of your visitor's message (nice to know what your visitors think about your website).
More Information: http://www.willmaster.com/master/recommend/MasterRecommendmanual.html
----------------------- Master Auto-Responder -----------------------
This is a standard auto-responder program. The script allows you to set the "From:" and "Subject:" lines for your auto-response.You can also choose to receive a copy of each email that the auto-responder receives.
More Information: http://mastercgi.com/howtoinfo/howautoresponderswork.shtml
If you need more help installing your CGI scripts, here are two excellent free tutorials:
http://spider-food.net/install-a-cgi-script.html http://www.stefan-pettersson.nu/scripts utorials/installcgi.html
Use CGI to Automate Your Web Site
Are you taking advantage of the powerful automation technology available on the Internet? Common Gateway Interface, better known as CGI, is one of the most widely used server applications on the Internet. This software resides on your server and automatically performs specified functions on your web site.
If you've been on the Internet for a while, you've probably seen many examples of CGI use and didn't even realize it. Search Engines, Directories and Forums all use CGI scripts. Scripts can run everything from a form on your web site to an affiliate program. They can give you the power to completely automate your web site.
There are scripts online that can automate all of the following:
* Make your product available for download * Take the customers order * Approve it right online * Send your customer a password * Send you a confirmation of the order
You can sell your products around the clock and never lift a finger.
SuperScripts - http://www.superscripts.com/
If you have a subscription box on your web site, then you're already using a program to process the information. That's a good start however, there are many additional ways you can use this powerful technology.
Here are some great scripts to get you started.
The Master Series:
Master Form
This form will enable you to have the results emailed to you or to a specified address. It can write your information to a database file and even enable you to have a personalized thank you page. In addition, you can even have multi-page forms with no limit on the number of pages. Master Feedback
Allow your visitors to provide you with feedback. Master Feedback enables you to add your own information fields with radio buttons, checkboxes, dropdown lists and text fields. The great thing about using Master Feedback is that it helps you spam- proof your site by not requiring your email address anywhere on your page.
Master Recommend
Word of mouth is one of the best forms of advertising. Master Recommend will enable your visitors to recommend your web site to a friend. This great script is multi-lingual, which means that the emails sent can be written in any language.
Master Subscriber Pro
Enable your visitors to subscribe to multiple ezines by checking the boxes beside the publication they wish to subscribe. They'll only need to enter their email address one time and won't be forced to leave your web site.
The great thing about this script is that it is compatible with ezines hosted with Egroups, Topica, etc., or any ezine that uses an email address for subscriptions.
Master Syndicator
If you write articles, Master Syndicator will enable you to syndicate your content. You simply copy and paste your article into a form and click on submit. Your article will instantly be ready for syndication. To display your content, webmasters will need to place two small lines of JavaScript within their web page where they'd like the article to display. Each time you update your article, every web site using your code will automatically be updated.
The Master Series scripts can be found here: http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?wsnet/willmaster
WebBBS
This great script will enable you to set up your own forum. Unlike most bulletin board scripts, WebBBS stores messages as simple text files and creates HTML pages as needed.
This great script supports automatic quoting of message text and email notification of those who want to be informed of new posts. http://awsd.com/scripts/webbbs/index.shtml
WebAdverts
Set up a rotating banner system on your web site and track response rates. WebAdverts will enable you to not only set up a rotating banner system, but if you'd like, you can set up your own banner exchange. Banners can be displayed on your pages using SSI tags, IFRAME tags, or standard IMG tags.
The great thing about this script is that you can include banners on CGI-generated pages. In addition, you can filter the banners by allowing certain banners to appear only on certain pages. This script is a little complicated, but well worth it. http://awsd.com/scripts/webadverts/index.shtml
Links
If you've ever wanted to set up a directory, this great script will make it simple. It is modeled after Yahoo and inspired by The CGI Resource Index. It can be completely customized to match the look and feel of your web site. http://www.gossamer-threads.com/scripts/links/
POD
The Personal Open Directory script will enable you to pull the contents of the Open Directory Project into your own web pages. It is completely customizable and will enable your visitors to have access to this great directory without leaving your web site. http://grohol.com/downloads/pod/dmoz/
Learn more about CGI: http://www.howstuffworks.com/cgi.htm
Locate CGI Scripts: http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/
If you're not utilizing the full benefits that CGI has to offer, you're missing the boat. Not only will it save you a great deal of time, but it will also process your information around the clock. Scripts can assist you in making your web site an interactive community and bring your site to life.
If you've been on the Internet for a while, you've probably seen many examples of CGI use and didn't even realize it. Search Engines, Directories and Forums all use CGI scripts. Scripts can run everything from a form on your web site to an affiliate program. They can give you the power to completely automate your web site.
There are scripts online that can automate all of the following:
* Make your product available for download * Take the customers order * Approve it right online * Send your customer a password * Send you a confirmation of the order
You can sell your products around the clock and never lift a finger.
SuperScripts - http://www.superscripts.com/
If you have a subscription box on your web site, then you're already using a program to process the information. That's a good start however, there are many additional ways you can use this powerful technology.
Here are some great scripts to get you started.
The Master Series:
Master Form
This form will enable you to have the results emailed to you or to a specified address. It can write your information to a database file and even enable you to have a personalized thank you page. In addition, you can even have multi-page forms with no limit on the number of pages. Master Feedback
Allow your visitors to provide you with feedback. Master Feedback enables you to add your own information fields with radio buttons, checkboxes, dropdown lists and text fields. The great thing about using Master Feedback is that it helps you spam- proof your site by not requiring your email address anywhere on your page.
Master Recommend
Word of mouth is one of the best forms of advertising. Master Recommend will enable your visitors to recommend your web site to a friend. This great script is multi-lingual, which means that the emails sent can be written in any language.
Master Subscriber Pro
Enable your visitors to subscribe to multiple ezines by checking the boxes beside the publication they wish to subscribe. They'll only need to enter their email address one time and won't be forced to leave your web site.
The great thing about this script is that it is compatible with ezines hosted with Egroups, Topica, etc., or any ezine that uses an email address for subscriptions.
Master Syndicator
If you write articles, Master Syndicator will enable you to syndicate your content. You simply copy and paste your article into a form and click on submit. Your article will instantly be ready for syndication. To display your content, webmasters will need to place two small lines of JavaScript within their web page where they'd like the article to display. Each time you update your article, every web site using your code will automatically be updated.
The Master Series scripts can be found here: http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?wsnet/willmaster
WebBBS
This great script will enable you to set up your own forum. Unlike most bulletin board scripts, WebBBS stores messages as simple text files and creates HTML pages as needed.
This great script supports automatic quoting of message text and email notification of those who want to be informed of new posts. http://awsd.com/scripts/webbbs/index.shtml
WebAdverts
Set up a rotating banner system on your web site and track response rates. WebAdverts will enable you to not only set up a rotating banner system, but if you'd like, you can set up your own banner exchange. Banners can be displayed on your pages using SSI tags, IFRAME tags, or standard IMG tags.
The great thing about this script is that you can include banners on CGI-generated pages. In addition, you can filter the banners by allowing certain banners to appear only on certain pages. This script is a little complicated, but well worth it. http://awsd.com/scripts/webadverts/index.shtml
Links
If you've ever wanted to set up a directory, this great script will make it simple. It is modeled after Yahoo and inspired by The CGI Resource Index. It can be completely customized to match the look and feel of your web site. http://www.gossamer-threads.com/scripts/links/
POD
The Personal Open Directory script will enable you to pull the contents of the Open Directory Project into your own web pages. It is completely customizable and will enable your visitors to have access to this great directory without leaving your web site. http://grohol.com/downloads/pod/dmoz/
Learn more about CGI: http://www.howstuffworks.com/cgi.htm
Locate CGI Scripts: http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/
If you're not utilizing the full benefits that CGI has to offer, you're missing the boat. Not only will it save you a great deal of time, but it will also process your information around the clock. Scripts can assist you in making your web site an interactive community and bring your site to life.
What is really CGI?
Let's unlock a little bit of the mystery about something called CGI. If it helps any, CGI means Common Gateway Interface. This is a method which is used to exchange data between the server (the hardware and software that actually allows you to get to your web site) and a web client (your browser). CGI is actually a set of standards where a program or script (a series of commands) can send data back to the web server where it can be processed.
Typically, you use standard HTML tags to get data from a person, then pass that data to a CGI routine. The CGI routine then performs some action with the data.
Some of the more common uses of CGI include:
- Guestbooks - The CGI routine is responsible for accepting the data, ensuring it is valid, sending an email acknowledgement back to the writer, perhaps sending an email to the webmaster, and creating the guestbook entry itself.
- Email Forms - A simple CGI forms routine just formats the data into an email and sends it back to the webmaster. More complicated routines can maintain a database, send an acknowledgement and validate data.
- Mailing List Maintenance - These routines allow visitors to subscribe and unsubscribe from a mailing list. In this case, the CGI routine maintains a database of email addresses, and the better ones send acknowledgements back to the visitor and webmaster.
A CGI routine can be anything which understands the CGI standard. A popular CGI language is called PERL, which is simple to understand and use (well, compared to other languages). PERL is a scripting language, which means each time a PERL routine is executed the web server must examine the PERL commands to determine what to do. In contrast, a compiled language such as C++ or Visual Basic can be directly executed, which is faster and more efficient.
Okay, in a nutshell (and greatly simplified), here's how it works:
1) You (the webmaster) specify a form tag which includes the name of the CGI routine.
2) You create HTML tags which retrieves data from your visitors.
3) Each of the input tags includes a variable name. The data which is retrieved from the visitor (or directly set if the tag includes the "hidden" qualifier) is placed in the variable name.
4) When the visitor presses the "submit" button, the CGI routine which was specified in the form tag is executed. At this time, the CGI routine "takes control", meaning the browser essentially is waiting for it to complete.
5) This CGI routine can get data from variable names. It retrieves the data and does whatever action is required.
6) When the CGI routine finishes, it returns control back to the web client (the browser).
Some important things to remember about CGI routines:
- You can install CGI routines on your own site if your host allows it - Addr.Com is an example of a web host which allows for CGI routines. Some web hosts do not allow you to install your own routines but do provide some pre-written ones to you. If these are not sufficient for your needs, you can find a remote hosting service to provide the necessary functions.
- Generally, if you install your own routines they must be installed in the cgi-bin directory of your site. This is a special location which allows scripts and programs to be executed.
- CGI routines work best on Apache-style servers. Windows NT and Windows 2000 does support CGI, but it tends to be slow and problematic.
- If you use a remote hosting service, you must remember that although they appear to be giving you this for free, you are actually paying a price. Usually they want to display advertisements, although some of them actually take visitors away from your site.
- When you write a CGI routine, you have the choice of a scripting language like PERL or a compiled language such as C++ or Visual Basic. Anything which can execute on the web server is acceptable.
I hope this short introduction to CGI has cleared up some of the mystery.
Typically, you use standard HTML tags to get data from a person, then pass that data to a CGI routine. The CGI routine then performs some action with the data.
Some of the more common uses of CGI include:
- Guestbooks - The CGI routine is responsible for accepting the data, ensuring it is valid, sending an email acknowledgement back to the writer, perhaps sending an email to the webmaster, and creating the guestbook entry itself.
- Email Forms - A simple CGI forms routine just formats the data into an email and sends it back to the webmaster. More complicated routines can maintain a database, send an acknowledgement and validate data.
- Mailing List Maintenance - These routines allow visitors to subscribe and unsubscribe from a mailing list. In this case, the CGI routine maintains a database of email addresses, and the better ones send acknowledgements back to the visitor and webmaster.
A CGI routine can be anything which understands the CGI standard. A popular CGI language is called PERL, which is simple to understand and use (well, compared to other languages). PERL is a scripting language, which means each time a PERL routine is executed the web server must examine the PERL commands to determine what to do. In contrast, a compiled language such as C++ or Visual Basic can be directly executed, which is faster and more efficient.
Okay, in a nutshell (and greatly simplified), here's how it works:
1) You (the webmaster) specify a form tag which includes the name of the CGI routine.
2) You create HTML tags which retrieves data from your visitors.
3) Each of the input tags includes a variable name. The data which is retrieved from the visitor (or directly set if the tag includes the "hidden" qualifier) is placed in the variable name.
4) When the visitor presses the "submit" button, the CGI routine which was specified in the form tag is executed. At this time, the CGI routine "takes control", meaning the browser essentially is waiting for it to complete.
5) This CGI routine can get data from variable names. It retrieves the data and does whatever action is required.
6) When the CGI routine finishes, it returns control back to the web client (the browser).
Some important things to remember about CGI routines:
- You can install CGI routines on your own site if your host allows it - Addr.Com is an example of a web host which allows for CGI routines. Some web hosts do not allow you to install your own routines but do provide some pre-written ones to you. If these are not sufficient for your needs, you can find a remote hosting service to provide the necessary functions.
- Generally, if you install your own routines they must be installed in the cgi-bin directory of your site. This is a special location which allows scripts and programs to be executed.
- CGI routines work best on Apache-style servers. Windows NT and Windows 2000 does support CGI, but it tends to be slow and problematic.
- If you use a remote hosting service, you must remember that although they appear to be giving you this for free, you are actually paying a price. Usually they want to display advertisements, although some of them actually take visitors away from your site.
- When you write a CGI routine, you have the choice of a scripting language like PERL or a compiled language such as C++ or Visual Basic. Anything which can execute on the web server is acceptable.
I hope this short introduction to CGI has cleared up some of the mystery.
CGI Security Issues
When you are creating or using CGI routines, you must be careful to keep good coding techniques, security and just plain common sense in mind. Sometimes you can do things that cause serious unexpected site effects. In fact, sometimes you may think you are making your CGI routine secure only to find out it just doesn't work like you expected.
A good example of a this phenomenon is a simple CGI routine called FormMail. This was written a number of years ago by a fellow named Matt Wright to allow data to be entered in a form, then emailed to a recipient.
I first looked at FormMail because I wanted to cut down on spam. You see, my web site had my email address embedded on every single page. I thought this was a good idea to allow people to send me an email message when they wanted to contact me. In fact, all of the web design books indicate that all good web sites include an email link of this kind.
I soon discovered, much to my horror, that spammers use special programs called Spam Harvesters to scan websites for email addresses. They add these addresses to their mailing lists and resell them over and over. The result is a large increase in the amount of spam that I received.
After much research, I came to the conclusion that the best defense against spam robots was to simply stop including my email address on my web sites. This left the question of how to allow users to contact me when they had questions or comments.
The answer is simple - use a form. The advantage is that the email address is hidden within the CGI routine or a text file and it is simply not possible for a spam harvester to pick it up. As long as the email address is coded into the CGI routine or in a database you are relatively secure.
However, many people use FormMail in a different way. Let's say you want to allow your visitors to "tell a friend" about your site. So you include a form which allows visitors to enter their message and a target email address. If you are not very careful you could find that you have set yourself up as a spam relay.
You see, spammers are always looking for ways to hide their identity. One common method is to search the internet for occurrences of FormMail. Sometimes I wonder if spammers rub their hands together in glee when they find sites which use FormMail with user-entered email addresses.
The spammer essentially "hijacks" the FormMail CGI routine and causes it to send out emails as fast and furiously as they can. I know of one instance where a spammer sent over one million emails in a single day before someone noticed that their web server was going very slowly (I wonder how long it would have taken had the spammer tried limiting the load on the server so it didn't show up as much). What happens here is very simple. The FormMail CGI routine is simply called remotely by the spammer, once for each spam email that he wants to send.
Ah, you say, but you could code the FormMail routine to check the referrer field. This would surely prevent a spammer from using it remotely, as his referrer would not be the website URL.
Sorry, no. The referrer field is actually a text string passed to the CGI routine by the browser. The spammer is most likely using a program which appears, to your web site, to be just another browser. Since the spammer controls the program he can code it to send the CGI routine whatever value he wants for the referrer field.
As it turns out, it is very difficult to make a CGI routine such as FormMail even relatively secure, and it may be impossible to make it bullet-proof. All you can do is check enough things and put in delays here and there to slow down and discourage spammers.
You could, for example, only allow one posting per IP address per hour. You could also check referrer just to block out the more ignorant spammers. I suppose you could count the number of times the routine is called, and have it just stop working after a certain amount. For example, only allow one hundred calls per day from anywhere.
The point here is not to tear apart the FormMail routine. The goal is to show how difficult it can be to make anything secure on the internet, and demonstrate that some assumptions (that the referrer field is a valid check) may not be true in all cases.
What do you do? Before you implement any CGI or similar interface, be sure and do a little research to be sure you completely understand and handle the ramifications. If you don't do this, you may find yourself the victim of a hacker or spammer.
A good example of a this phenomenon is a simple CGI routine called FormMail. This was written a number of years ago by a fellow named Matt Wright to allow data to be entered in a form, then emailed to a recipient.
I first looked at FormMail because I wanted to cut down on spam. You see, my web site had my email address embedded on every single page. I thought this was a good idea to allow people to send me an email message when they wanted to contact me. In fact, all of the web design books indicate that all good web sites include an email link of this kind.
I soon discovered, much to my horror, that spammers use special programs called Spam Harvesters to scan websites for email addresses. They add these addresses to their mailing lists and resell them over and over. The result is a large increase in the amount of spam that I received.
After much research, I came to the conclusion that the best defense against spam robots was to simply stop including my email address on my web sites. This left the question of how to allow users to contact me when they had questions or comments.
The answer is simple - use a form. The advantage is that the email address is hidden within the CGI routine or a text file and it is simply not possible for a spam harvester to pick it up. As long as the email address is coded into the CGI routine or in a database you are relatively secure.
However, many people use FormMail in a different way. Let's say you want to allow your visitors to "tell a friend" about your site. So you include a form which allows visitors to enter their message and a target email address. If you are not very careful you could find that you have set yourself up as a spam relay.
You see, spammers are always looking for ways to hide their identity. One common method is to search the internet for occurrences of FormMail. Sometimes I wonder if spammers rub their hands together in glee when they find sites which use FormMail with user-entered email addresses.
The spammer essentially "hijacks" the FormMail CGI routine and causes it to send out emails as fast and furiously as they can. I know of one instance where a spammer sent over one million emails in a single day before someone noticed that their web server was going very slowly (I wonder how long it would have taken had the spammer tried limiting the load on the server so it didn't show up as much). What happens here is very simple. The FormMail CGI routine is simply called remotely by the spammer, once for each spam email that he wants to send.
Ah, you say, but you could code the FormMail routine to check the referrer field. This would surely prevent a spammer from using it remotely, as his referrer would not be the website URL.
Sorry, no. The referrer field is actually a text string passed to the CGI routine by the browser. The spammer is most likely using a program which appears, to your web site, to be just another browser. Since the spammer controls the program he can code it to send the CGI routine whatever value he wants for the referrer field.
As it turns out, it is very difficult to make a CGI routine such as FormMail even relatively secure, and it may be impossible to make it bullet-proof. All you can do is check enough things and put in delays here and there to slow down and discourage spammers.
You could, for example, only allow one posting per IP address per hour. You could also check referrer just to block out the more ignorant spammers. I suppose you could count the number of times the routine is called, and have it just stop working after a certain amount. For example, only allow one hundred calls per day from anywhere.
The point here is not to tear apart the FormMail routine. The goal is to show how difficult it can be to make anything secure on the internet, and demonstrate that some assumptions (that the referrer field is a valid check) may not be true in all cases.
What do you do? Before you implement any CGI or similar interface, be sure and do a little research to be sure you completely understand and handle the ramifications. If you don't do this, you may find yourself the victim of a hacker or spammer.
How to Stop Digital Thieves with CGI
I'm going to assume you're serious about your business. If you're not, I can't help you anyway. You've gone as far as getting a real merchant account to accept credit card payments online.
You know that this was neither easy or cheap. So does everyone else! So, a merchant account shows that you've made a serious commitment to your business. That's good for customer confidence, which is good for business. So far so good...
Now there's the issue of selling stuff to people online. Your order form leads them to feed their credit card info to a secure gateway, using software you bought or leased from (or through) your merchant account provider. Finally, the transaction is approved or denied.
If approved, the software generates a receipt and emails you and the customer each a copy. At this point, the customer is returned to a page you specified. In the case of downloadable products, this is often the page where they download your product. So, you've got the entire process fully automated.
For a product or service with a fairly low price point and a potential for many thousands of sales, this seems ideal. You can quite literally make sales and earn income 24 hours a day. So, what's the problem?
The form code on your order page is the problem. If someone uses the ViewSource function of their browser, they can see all your code. If they have even a tiny bit of initiative and skill, they can locate the URL of your download page. After all, it's right there in your form code!
CGI provides two ways of fixing this problem. One involves using a script that makes it impossible to view the source code. You can find a source for such a script by searching the web. Expect to pay a lot for this technology.
Another way is to make the return path a script instead of the actual download location. The script would be used to create and display the download page. It would not be visible to the surfer, since it's not an HTML document. The script can also record details of the transaction for book-keeping purposes.
I admit that I discovered this by trial and error - and a lucky guess or two. Your merchant account gateway software may have radically different behavior than mine, but here's what I've learned:
The gateway uses the POST method to send the customer to your specified return URL (which can be a script as well as a web page). It also POSTs most of its input data items at the same time. They are usually ignored, but your script can read them if you want to!
Use the names given to the form inputs. Have your script extract the values of these "named parameters" at the time it creates the download page. Record what you want to save about the transaction in your orders file or database.
Now here's the real secret to foiling the thieves. Inside the script, check to see that the variables you extract contain non-empty values. Did you get that? Here's an example:
if ($email eq "") {exit;}
In this example, the script expects to get an email address. If it contains no characters, the script quits instantly. By testing for the presence of some data in such fields as customer name, email address, item #, price, etc., you can tell whether the script was called after a successful transaction - or by a thief...
Put all your security checks prior to the code that creates the download page. If any test fails, the script exits and the thief is left empty- handed. If your form-handling script can convert a product name to a product ID that's never visible to a browser, this provides even more security. This will be POSTed back to the script and you can check for it before allowing the download.
Close these security holes and you'll make more money. You may even sleep a little better knowing that people can't steal that product you worked so hard to create. I know I do!
You know that this was neither easy or cheap. So does everyone else! So, a merchant account shows that you've made a serious commitment to your business. That's good for customer confidence, which is good for business. So far so good...
Now there's the issue of selling stuff to people online. Your order form leads them to feed their credit card info to a secure gateway, using software you bought or leased from (or through) your merchant account provider. Finally, the transaction is approved or denied.
If approved, the software generates a receipt and emails you and the customer each a copy. At this point, the customer is returned to a page you specified. In the case of downloadable products, this is often the page where they download your product. So, you've got the entire process fully automated.
For a product or service with a fairly low price point and a potential for many thousands of sales, this seems ideal. You can quite literally make sales and earn income 24 hours a day. So, what's the problem?
The form code on your order page is the problem. If someone uses the ViewSource function of their browser, they can see all your code. If they have even a tiny bit of initiative and skill, they can locate the URL of your download page. After all, it's right there in your form code!
CGI provides two ways of fixing this problem. One involves using a script that makes it impossible to view the source code. You can find a source for such a script by searching the web. Expect to pay a lot for this technology.
Another way is to make the return path a script instead of the actual download location. The script would be used to create and display the download page. It would not be visible to the surfer, since it's not an HTML document. The script can also record details of the transaction for book-keeping purposes.
I admit that I discovered this by trial and error - and a lucky guess or two. Your merchant account gateway software may have radically different behavior than mine, but here's what I've learned:
The gateway uses the POST method to send the customer to your specified return URL (which can be a script as well as a web page). It also POSTs most of its input data items at the same time. They are usually ignored, but your script can read them if you want to!
Use the names given to the form inputs. Have your script extract the values of these "named parameters" at the time it creates the download page. Record what you want to save about the transaction in your orders file or database.
Now here's the real secret to foiling the thieves. Inside the script, check to see that the variables you extract contain non-empty values. Did you get that? Here's an example:
if ($email eq "") {exit;}
In this example, the script expects to get an email address. If it contains no characters, the script quits instantly. By testing for the presence of some data in such fields as customer name, email address, item #, price, etc., you can tell whether the script was called after a successful transaction - or by a thief...
Put all your security checks prior to the code that creates the download page. If any test fails, the script exits and the thief is left empty- handed. If your form-handling script can convert a product name to a product ID that's never visible to a browser, this provides even more security. This will be POSTed back to the script and you can check for it before allowing the download.
Close these security holes and you'll make more money. You may even sleep a little better knowing that people can't steal that product you worked so hard to create. I know I do!
Concept of computer generated images and their application
Computer generated images (known as CGI) have become very popular over the past two decades, and their importance and use will increase even further in the future because of their wide applicability in various fields. In the area of movies and films in general CGI has become an essential tool for filmmakers to bring their visions to the screen, be it by creating computer generated characters, props, sets, or just simplifying the process of image and sound editing. Film production ("Filmproduktion") has been made faster and more efficient in the post production phase, offering an unprecedented level of freedom and quality.
The success of 3D computer animation and CGI in general started in the early 90s, when software bundles and processing power got more affordable even for smaller companies, and since then it turned into an accepted art form by itself. Over the years the technology evolved further and further, lowering the barrier between art and technology, and even allowing these two extremes to blend seamlessly.
Creation of 3D graphics:
The creation of CGI and computer animation requires the use of specialized software products. Several bundles have established on the market, and it is mainly a question of personal preference which one to pick. After all the biggest factor in creating convincing digital worlds is the artist himself, whereas the software is merely the tool to transfer his creativity onto the screen.
As graphics software became more user-friendly and intuitive, the process of creating CGI started to resemble its real-world counterparts, like painting, sculpting, photography and filmmaking. The area of computer animation for example requires the same steps of "real world" filmmaking, with the addition of modeling sets, props and characters first. Bringing a mass of "digital clay" into shape to form a convincing character (or any other object or location to be shown, for that matter) is the initial step. Then cameras, lights and other entities are arranged in the virtual space, and animated if necessary. Computer animation might be called the digital successor to the classic Harryhausen-type stop-motion animation, although many other ways of animating virtual objects and characters (like physical simulation or motion-capturing techniques) have evolved over the years. The last step is called "rendering" and describes the process of collecting all information of the scene and light setup to process and output the final image through the lens of a virtual camera, either in the form of still frames, or a series of frames which create the illusion of movement.
Television, film production and commercials:
Computer animation and three-dimensional visualization ("Visualisierung") is widely used in television, commercials and film production. The "small screen" has proven to be the perfect field for experimenting with newly developed technology and concepts, and many artists working in the area of television and commercials have made their way to the movie business. With software bundles getting cheaper and more accessible, independent artists and filmmakers seized the opportunity to create their own films and short films, a development which gave the visual quality of films an enormous boost in the mid 90s. In the area of film production computer animation slowly started replacing hand-made models and puppets, and even the genre of animated films has gotten a digital counterpart.
The area of commercials has grown into other branches like industrial documentations ("Industriefilm") and corporate video ("Imagefilm"), and besides entertainment computer animation is also used in the fields of education, interactive media ("3D Online") and military application.
Scientific visualization:
Computer animation produced to present meteorological data, medical imaging, industriefilm, architecture and technology.
Product design and engineering:
Designers and engineers use special CAD (computer aided design) software for designing, developing and manufacturing consumer and industrial products. Product visualization extensively uses modern graphics technology and with the help of computers, designs can be rotated, cut and manipulated even before getting manufactured. This greatly helps engineers visualize the product that they are designing.
The success of 3D computer animation and CGI in general started in the early 90s, when software bundles and processing power got more affordable even for smaller companies, and since then it turned into an accepted art form by itself. Over the years the technology evolved further and further, lowering the barrier between art and technology, and even allowing these two extremes to blend seamlessly.
Creation of 3D graphics:
The creation of CGI and computer animation requires the use of specialized software products. Several bundles have established on the market, and it is mainly a question of personal preference which one to pick. After all the biggest factor in creating convincing digital worlds is the artist himself, whereas the software is merely the tool to transfer his creativity onto the screen.
As graphics software became more user-friendly and intuitive, the process of creating CGI started to resemble its real-world counterparts, like painting, sculpting, photography and filmmaking. The area of computer animation for example requires the same steps of "real world" filmmaking, with the addition of modeling sets, props and characters first. Bringing a mass of "digital clay" into shape to form a convincing character (or any other object or location to be shown, for that matter) is the initial step. Then cameras, lights and other entities are arranged in the virtual space, and animated if necessary. Computer animation might be called the digital successor to the classic Harryhausen-type stop-motion animation, although many other ways of animating virtual objects and characters (like physical simulation or motion-capturing techniques) have evolved over the years. The last step is called "rendering" and describes the process of collecting all information of the scene and light setup to process and output the final image through the lens of a virtual camera, either in the form of still frames, or a series of frames which create the illusion of movement.
Television, film production and commercials:
Computer animation and three-dimensional visualization ("Visualisierung") is widely used in television, commercials and film production. The "small screen" has proven to be the perfect field for experimenting with newly developed technology and concepts, and many artists working in the area of television and commercials have made their way to the movie business. With software bundles getting cheaper and more accessible, independent artists and filmmakers seized the opportunity to create their own films and short films, a development which gave the visual quality of films an enormous boost in the mid 90s. In the area of film production computer animation slowly started replacing hand-made models and puppets, and even the genre of animated films has gotten a digital counterpart.
The area of commercials has grown into other branches like industrial documentations ("Industriefilm") and corporate video ("Imagefilm"), and besides entertainment computer animation is also used in the fields of education, interactive media ("3D Online") and military application.
Scientific visualization:
Computer animation produced to present meteorological data, medical imaging, industriefilm, architecture and technology.
Product design and engineering:
Designers and engineers use special CAD (computer aided design) software for designing, developing and manufacturing consumer and industrial products. Product visualization extensively uses modern graphics technology and with the help of computers, designs can be rotated, cut and manipulated even before getting manufactured. This greatly helps engineers visualize the product that they are designing.
Use CGI For Quality Websites
Few people now some of the newer terms used in Internet protocol request and guides. CGI is one of the largest culprits. CGI stands for Common Gateway Interface and deals directly with how and why a website is displayed.
CGI acts as a means for the server where the website is stored to more readily find and display the website. Compared to the HTTPD format that is far more common, CGI is faster and more reliable in every way.
CGI uses smarter technology to bridge the gap between the server and someone trying to access a page. This gap has to do with the way the information is sent back and fourth to properly display the page. CGI acts as a single entity reaching out for the information. While HTTPD sends out several signals that bounce from place to place until the server is located. This is a very random way of locating websites and is the most common reason that a Cannot Find Server message is displayed. There may not be anything wrong with the server or the website itself, but the HTTPD is not functioning properly thereby sending an error message.
CGI takes the number of error messages down to nearly nothing as it is very reliable in finding servers with its single entity type retrieval method. CGI is becoming more widespread as websites tire of visitors being unable to find their site because of an error message being displayed. Using CGI does require a lot of changes to your websites. This is due to the fact that CGI operates on different codes. These codes must be pre-written to ensure that the CGI will be able to function properly. Web design and SEO companies can be of great service in this area. There are many to choose from. You should make sure and do you research and only work with a reputable company that will not embed spy-ware or other malicious data into the codes for your site. This could cause harm to your computer and those of your viewers.
XML is another term that people are having a difficult time understanding as computer nerds all over the world laugh at their ignorance. The concept of XML is simple and complicated all at the same time. Related to HTML, XML deals more with describing information than to displaying it like HTML.
XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. Not to be confused, XML does not replace HTML but is designed to complement HTML. XML is designed to structure and describe a website while HTML is used to display the website. XML authors must define their own tags instead of using preset tags that come HTML.
It is believed that XML will be used in the future for all data transmission and manipulation over the web. It is best to learn it now before it becomes used in all applications so that you can get a firm grasp of the concept. There are several sites that feature basic and advanced tutorials on the subject, check them out for some great knowledge. Also keep going back to these websites so that you can keep up to date with all the news on websites and other important information. They might be able to offer you a software package for a discount price. These websites are there to help people like you out. So use them to your advantage.
CGI acts as a means for the server where the website is stored to more readily find and display the website. Compared to the HTTPD format that is far more common, CGI is faster and more reliable in every way.
CGI uses smarter technology to bridge the gap between the server and someone trying to access a page. This gap has to do with the way the information is sent back and fourth to properly display the page. CGI acts as a single entity reaching out for the information. While HTTPD sends out several signals that bounce from place to place until the server is located. This is a very random way of locating websites and is the most common reason that a Cannot Find Server message is displayed. There may not be anything wrong with the server or the website itself, but the HTTPD is not functioning properly thereby sending an error message.
CGI takes the number of error messages down to nearly nothing as it is very reliable in finding servers with its single entity type retrieval method. CGI is becoming more widespread as websites tire of visitors being unable to find their site because of an error message being displayed. Using CGI does require a lot of changes to your websites. This is due to the fact that CGI operates on different codes. These codes must be pre-written to ensure that the CGI will be able to function properly. Web design and SEO companies can be of great service in this area. There are many to choose from. You should make sure and do you research and only work with a reputable company that will not embed spy-ware or other malicious data into the codes for your site. This could cause harm to your computer and those of your viewers.
XML is another term that people are having a difficult time understanding as computer nerds all over the world laugh at their ignorance. The concept of XML is simple and complicated all at the same time. Related to HTML, XML deals more with describing information than to displaying it like HTML.
XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. Not to be confused, XML does not replace HTML but is designed to complement HTML. XML is designed to structure and describe a website while HTML is used to display the website. XML authors must define their own tags instead of using preset tags that come HTML.
It is believed that XML will be used in the future for all data transmission and manipulation over the web. It is best to learn it now before it becomes used in all applications so that you can get a firm grasp of the concept. There are several sites that feature basic and advanced tutorials on the subject, check them out for some great knowledge. Also keep going back to these websites so that you can keep up to date with all the news on websites and other important information. They might be able to offer you a software package for a discount price. These websites are there to help people like you out. So use them to your advantage.
The trend of CGI in Animation
Over the past 20 years, so many things have changed, with the advent of high tech gadgetry such as cell phones, mp3 players, PDA's, DVD's and so on. Nowadays we even wonder whether a time when all those gizmos were not around really existed. Remember how you had to be home to actually get a phone call or drive all the way to the store if you wanted to get a book or check the price of some item, and I won't even tell you about calling someone halfway across the earth, which was to be done on special occasions only considering the cost. Well, all those things and more have completely changed.
For those of you who want to take a break from the big digital convergence, you might wanna go see a movie in your favorite theatre, an animation why not, with its painstakingly handmade drawings filing past the big screen and creating the illusion of motion, the kind that has been enjoyed for over 80 years ... And that's when you find out with a bit of surprise that those animated features which you enjoyed so much as a kid are simply not there anymore. Instead, you will have to choose among a plethora of animations of a new type, and when you do and start watching the feature of your choice, you notice how smooth the image is, how incredibly life-like the characters are and you start feeling as though a real camera has taken those shots. And the depth, you can feel it's there and then you start wondering how ...
How on earth could they draw with such accuracy and create such crystal-clear images, and soon it hits you and you begin to understand that even the art of making animations has finally been caught in the big canvas of new technologies. And later when you ask a savvy friend how they do it and he explains that they use computers and 3D softwares to reach that level of accuracy, you realize that nothing will ever be the way it was before. But it's ok because you end up seduced by the beauty of those images of a new kind, and you got plenty to choose from, about 15 full length releases in 2006 alone and many to come in the next years. There you are, hooked up on computer rendered landscapes and characters that you now fully enjoy.
You might even wonder if you could still spend 90 minutes watching the Lion King or Alice in wonderland and its desperately out-of-fashion two dimensional sceneries, but you dismiss that thought and think about your kids. For them CG Animation is just the regular thing and old cartoons never really did the trick. Already a generational gap is growing because no matter how much you enjoy those flicks and think you know everything there is to know about them, you end up realizing how ahead of you your kids are. You might understand and appreciate the CGI trend but they know how it is done and even what programs are used to create the stuff and where to find them on the net. But that thought is also dismissed and becomes irrelevant because all you want to do is sit down and relax in front of your widescreen LCD high definition tv, the latest blu-ray release of your favorite CG Animation already in the player, the future became the present and the past is lost far behind. You have a good time with your family and presently that's all that matters.
For those of you who want to take a break from the big digital convergence, you might wanna go see a movie in your favorite theatre, an animation why not, with its painstakingly handmade drawings filing past the big screen and creating the illusion of motion, the kind that has been enjoyed for over 80 years ... And that's when you find out with a bit of surprise that those animated features which you enjoyed so much as a kid are simply not there anymore. Instead, you will have to choose among a plethora of animations of a new type, and when you do and start watching the feature of your choice, you notice how smooth the image is, how incredibly life-like the characters are and you start feeling as though a real camera has taken those shots. And the depth, you can feel it's there and then you start wondering how ...
How on earth could they draw with such accuracy and create such crystal-clear images, and soon it hits you and you begin to understand that even the art of making animations has finally been caught in the big canvas of new technologies. And later when you ask a savvy friend how they do it and he explains that they use computers and 3D softwares to reach that level of accuracy, you realize that nothing will ever be the way it was before. But it's ok because you end up seduced by the beauty of those images of a new kind, and you got plenty to choose from, about 15 full length releases in 2006 alone and many to come in the next years. There you are, hooked up on computer rendered landscapes and characters that you now fully enjoy.
You might even wonder if you could still spend 90 minutes watching the Lion King or Alice in wonderland and its desperately out-of-fashion two dimensional sceneries, but you dismiss that thought and think about your kids. For them CG Animation is just the regular thing and old cartoons never really did the trick. Already a generational gap is growing because no matter how much you enjoy those flicks and think you know everything there is to know about them, you end up realizing how ahead of you your kids are. You might understand and appreciate the CGI trend but they know how it is done and even what programs are used to create the stuff and where to find them on the net. But that thought is also dismissed and becomes irrelevant because all you want to do is sit down and relax in front of your widescreen LCD high definition tv, the latest blu-ray release of your favorite CG Animation already in the player, the future became the present and the past is lost far behind. You have a good time with your family and presently that's all that matters.
Understanding and reviewing CG Animations
We are in the future and the trend of CGI in animation is no longer flabbergasting us, we are now in a position to claim back our objectivity, this sense of awe that permeated us when we saw our first CG animated flick, has dwindled and now it is time again for the future to be called "present". That is until the next big thing comes knocking at our door. So what do we do now ? We got our senses back, we make the best of it and that means we demand quality to those that create CGI because we don't want to end up with what I call an "overall negative ratio" where, out of 10 productions, 1 or maybe 2 are really worth paying for a cinema ticket.
Nowadays the amount of productions is growing with each passing year and so is the amount of dedicated studios and the first consequence is that our choice is broadening which is a good thing because it means that we can afford to be more picky, also all these new studios sprouting all over the world mean for us, a chance to witness a new cultural approach and a different perspective in the subsequent productions. Some pessimistic analysts have said that this bubble of growing CG Animation output will soon burst due to the fact that people are now used to this new technology. I disagree with that, of course the output cannot sustain growth forever and I think the time has come for it to stabilize. After all, traditional 2D animations have weathered all sorts of changes in society and this, for over 80 years. Only a technological evolution (or should I say revolution ?) has been able to finally make those 2D features more or less retire.
So here we are, witnessing a certain maturity in this industry as well as in ourselves. We are then ready to ask, what are the criteria to be taken into account to say that any given CG Animation is all about quality and not just a commercial product designed to attract audiences at the expenses of everything else ? Well, the first thing is to know what is the prime target intended by the makers, if it is young children then we should see whether there is an educational value. As the story unfolds, you can see that if the animation makes your children ask all sorts of questions that are relevant to the way they perceive the world around them as well as questions regarding their interactions with you or their friends etc. Also see if they are entertained through and through which demonstrates a production that is consistent with its goals whereas If your kids are amused the first 5 minutes then bored the next 45, that would be a rather negative sign. As for the quality of the rendering, it won't be a top criterion for the younger ones but such productions appear rather seldom as the industry tends to move towards a "family" type of entertainment. (especially in the USA).
Now for a more general type of reviewing, let us take the example of an average production whose target audiences are older children and grown-ups. This time we want to know that the story be of interest, that discrepancies as well as inconsistencies be avoided as best as can be, that the theme be appealing to us. Most of the time (if not always) there will be situations that are intended to be comical so that fact is no longer a criterion in itself and we should see whether the comedy ingredient is subtle and clever or instead, predictable and already seen a million times before (e.g. a character slipping on something or crashing on a wall or receiving a pie on his face which will only be funny to young children). Another important aspect defining a good story is the sense of achievement of the main character's purpose and the movie's ability to convey that sense to the audience. In other words, do we have the feeling at the end that the "good" guys went through fairly hard times to finally overcome the "bad" ones and subsequently earn their sense of achievement and our respect ? Of course this won't be as relevant when a story's main theme is that of comedy and comical situations alone.
The other paramount aspect defining a good CG Animation is the rendering and all that is implied by that. This criterion, though technical, cannot be ignored because it is what differentiates CG productions from traditional animations or movies, it is the very reason of our awe when we caught our first glimpse of these CG Flicks. These technical aspects are important because they tell us a lot about the type of softwares used in the production, the knowledge the creators have of those softwares, their level of creativity and their mastery of colors, light and depth etc. Here is what should be considered when reviewing an animation:
FLUIDITY: A central aspect defining CGI, the smoother the animation the more pleasant it is to the eye. The worst CG Animation is more fluid than the best traditional hand-drawn production. Most CG Animations achieve a high level of fluidity but there are nonetheless differences in the control of movement of characters which will play a part in the overall review.
SURFACES AND TEXTURES: Another aspect that only CGI can achieve is the different types of texture, e.g. skin, hair, ground, tree bark etc. These tend to vary from realistic to extremely realistic and the higher the realism combined with high fluidity, the better the experience of watching it. By comparison, traditional animation realism vary from not realistic at all to slightly realistic.
COLOR AND LIGHT: This aspect though not the most important one is still to be taken into consideration, for it will define the way the animation is seen, where a strong dose of colors and a lower level of light grades will give an overall "cartoon-like" appearance. On the other hand, a broader grade of colors and lights associated with high fluidity and texture will yield ultra realistic characters and landscapes.
DEPTH: Probably the aspect that catches my eye the most and is the very reason of calling those animations "3D", the depth ratio is crucial to a sense of reality in any animation. This is something that is completely absent from traditional animation or at best, slightly suggested. In CGI, it varies from good to exceptionally good and with the ever evolving knowledge of creators, "exceptionally good" should become standard rather than occasional.
By now you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect or consider when you decide to go and see the latest animation on the big screen. You can always check http://www.cganima.com if you wish to see my reviews and, I don't know, compare them with your own experience. Remember that in the end, what really matters is that you and your kids have a good time watching 21st century entertainment. I certainly will.
Nowadays the amount of productions is growing with each passing year and so is the amount of dedicated studios and the first consequence is that our choice is broadening which is a good thing because it means that we can afford to be more picky, also all these new studios sprouting all over the world mean for us, a chance to witness a new cultural approach and a different perspective in the subsequent productions. Some pessimistic analysts have said that this bubble of growing CG Animation output will soon burst due to the fact that people are now used to this new technology. I disagree with that, of course the output cannot sustain growth forever and I think the time has come for it to stabilize. After all, traditional 2D animations have weathered all sorts of changes in society and this, for over 80 years. Only a technological evolution (or should I say revolution ?) has been able to finally make those 2D features more or less retire.
So here we are, witnessing a certain maturity in this industry as well as in ourselves. We are then ready to ask, what are the criteria to be taken into account to say that any given CG Animation is all about quality and not just a commercial product designed to attract audiences at the expenses of everything else ? Well, the first thing is to know what is the prime target intended by the makers, if it is young children then we should see whether there is an educational value. As the story unfolds, you can see that if the animation makes your children ask all sorts of questions that are relevant to the way they perceive the world around them as well as questions regarding their interactions with you or their friends etc. Also see if they are entertained through and through which demonstrates a production that is consistent with its goals whereas If your kids are amused the first 5 minutes then bored the next 45, that would be a rather negative sign. As for the quality of the rendering, it won't be a top criterion for the younger ones but such productions appear rather seldom as the industry tends to move towards a "family" type of entertainment. (especially in the USA).
Now for a more general type of reviewing, let us take the example of an average production whose target audiences are older children and grown-ups. This time we want to know that the story be of interest, that discrepancies as well as inconsistencies be avoided as best as can be, that the theme be appealing to us. Most of the time (if not always) there will be situations that are intended to be comical so that fact is no longer a criterion in itself and we should see whether the comedy ingredient is subtle and clever or instead, predictable and already seen a million times before (e.g. a character slipping on something or crashing on a wall or receiving a pie on his face which will only be funny to young children). Another important aspect defining a good story is the sense of achievement of the main character's purpose and the movie's ability to convey that sense to the audience. In other words, do we have the feeling at the end that the "good" guys went through fairly hard times to finally overcome the "bad" ones and subsequently earn their sense of achievement and our respect ? Of course this won't be as relevant when a story's main theme is that of comedy and comical situations alone.
The other paramount aspect defining a good CG Animation is the rendering and all that is implied by that. This criterion, though technical, cannot be ignored because it is what differentiates CG productions from traditional animations or movies, it is the very reason of our awe when we caught our first glimpse of these CG Flicks. These technical aspects are important because they tell us a lot about the type of softwares used in the production, the knowledge the creators have of those softwares, their level of creativity and their mastery of colors, light and depth etc. Here is what should be considered when reviewing an animation:
FLUIDITY: A central aspect defining CGI, the smoother the animation the more pleasant it is to the eye. The worst CG Animation is more fluid than the best traditional hand-drawn production. Most CG Animations achieve a high level of fluidity but there are nonetheless differences in the control of movement of characters which will play a part in the overall review.
SURFACES AND TEXTURES: Another aspect that only CGI can achieve is the different types of texture, e.g. skin, hair, ground, tree bark etc. These tend to vary from realistic to extremely realistic and the higher the realism combined with high fluidity, the better the experience of watching it. By comparison, traditional animation realism vary from not realistic at all to slightly realistic.
COLOR AND LIGHT: This aspect though not the most important one is still to be taken into consideration, for it will define the way the animation is seen, where a strong dose of colors and a lower level of light grades will give an overall "cartoon-like" appearance. On the other hand, a broader grade of colors and lights associated with high fluidity and texture will yield ultra realistic characters and landscapes.
DEPTH: Probably the aspect that catches my eye the most and is the very reason of calling those animations "3D", the depth ratio is crucial to a sense of reality in any animation. This is something that is completely absent from traditional animation or at best, slightly suggested. In CGI, it varies from good to exceptionally good and with the ever evolving knowledge of creators, "exceptionally good" should become standard rather than occasional.
By now you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect or consider when you decide to go and see the latest animation on the big screen. You can always check http://www.cganima.com if you wish to see my reviews and, I don't know, compare them with your own experience. Remember that in the end, what really matters is that you and your kids have a good time watching 21st century entertainment. I certainly will.
How To Create Animation
Software and Tools for Creating Animation:
Toon Boom Studio 4
Animation Software Review
Toon Boom Studio 4 is ideal for individuals looking for an all-in-one animation software solution. From drawing digitally, scanning hand-drawn animations or seamlessly importing existing artwork, Studio 4 enables you to lip-sync your animation, setup the action in a 3D space and publish your animation projects for TV, HDTV, the Web and iPod!Covering the entire animation workflow from sketching to final publishing, you will find Toon Boom Studio to be a great tool to create or learn animation. Once you master the aspects of Studio, you can "upgrade" to the "pro" version, Toon Boom Digital Pro - the only complete paperless animation software.
Toon Boom Studio offers intuitive and easy to use drawing tools. Take advantage of customizable grid, auto gap closing and a unique powerful Color Palette system. Use advanced features such as feathered edges or line styles to create a personalized look. With Toon Boom Studio, you can import and manage all kinds of assets, including digital pictures, swf movies or sound files. In addition to supporting all-well known standard formats, Toon Boom Studio includes advanced import and vectorizing capabilities to import and animate paper drawings or digital pictures.
Toon Boom also provides e-learning modules for use with Studio to help animation students get used to the concepts and environment of the software. Full of examples and tips, these modules take the mystery out of the animation process, and let you focus on creating your animated masterpiece.
Toon Boom Studio is available from the manufacturer, and is available for download, and demo versions of the products can be downloaded from their website.
Hash Inc Animation:Master
Animation Software Review
Hash Animation Master started life as an Amiga program (software that was around probably before most of you reading these words were even born), and if you don't know what an Amiga Computer is, Google it, and prepare to be impressed. Nowadays, however, this software supports Windows 2000, XP, Mac OS 9.2 or OS X 10.3.4 or greater.
Hash Animation Master contains many easy to use tools that, although seemingly simple are enormously powerful, and therein lies the elegance of the entire package. For a mere $200, you're getting an animation software package that should be costing thousands. Visit their website and go through the tutorials to see just how powerful this software suite is.
Even though it's a full 3D animation suite, Animation Master supports a "Toon Rendering" mode that allows for a very anime style look (or you can ramp up the level of detail to make it look like the latest PS3 games from Japan). Watch some of the Hash "Anime" films and prepare to be impressed.
Professional Cartoonist Kit
Animation Kit Review
For those of us too poor, or too young to play with the high-end anime-making software previously reviewed in this spot, we present Toysmith Professional Cartoonist Kit, a great package that allows you to create animation the old-fashioned way, with paper and pencil and making things that flip the images for you.
For ages 7 and up, simply sit down and start to create cartoon strips, flipbooks and zoetrope strips. Everything you need, including desktop, tracing underlays, templates, pencils, paper, an animation zoetrope and a 28 page drawing guide are stored in a handy portable briefcase.
Featuring Career Kid Pro Gene Hamm Draw, Damert's award winning Career Kids series give children a first hand insight into exciting professions because they truly learn from a pro! Damert has teamed up with recognized individuals in their profession, and worked closely with them to develop each aspect of the subject. They have helped pick the appropriate gear to include and have written the step-by-step book that comes with each kit. This unique approach creates an authentic connection to a actual person who is a recognized professional in their field.
eFrontier Anime Studio 5
Anime Software Review
From the software guys that brought you "Manga Studio", this program — Anime Studio — is a full-featured 2D "cartoon" animation package all in one box. Everything from simplistic "South Park" style animations to more realistic anime is within your grasp. All you need to do is draw.
Even if you can't draw, Anime Studio is packed with ready-to-use anime style characters so you can create your own animations right out of the box. Furthermore, tutorials and sample files show you how to maximize Anime Studio's powerful features giving you the jump start you'll need to begin your first project.The software's magic comes from treating the drawings as soft rubber mannequins with stiff wires inside that allow you to position the "key frames". These "bones" are not displayed in the final render, but they are visible during the animation production process, and by creating keyframe positions, the software will render the in-betweens for you by manipulating the "timeline", which is very much like an animation exposure sheet (or like the "score" from another popular animation product, Macromedia Director).
Anime Studio will output your work to AVI, MOV, and Flash formats for web-publishing (or making a very custom MySpace page!) The version shown here is limited to an animation 2 minutes in length, but, if you decide you're ready to make your own feature film they also sell a "pro" version with unlimited length.
Anime Studio takes the tedium out of animation production and allows you to create awesome looking results with only a few minutes of work. Everything from fan-parodies of existing anime to all-original epic creations are now possible — all you need is your imagination.Hollywood 2D Digital Animation:
The New Flash Production Revolution
Animation Book Review
Once upon a time, the only way to make your own animated movie was to spend a zillion dollars on paper, cels, paint, film, sound, editing, developing, etc. Now, you can do the whole thing on your computer, and do the whole thing in pretty much one application — Macromedia Flash.
This very comprehensive book gets you started in creating your own anime for broadcast or film production (as well as the web) — using the tools within Flash. Now you can achieve professional results at a fraction of the production costs. This is the future of animation production, so join the revolution now!
Toon Boom Studio 4
Animation Software Review
Toon Boom Studio 4 is ideal for individuals looking for an all-in-one animation software solution. From drawing digitally, scanning hand-drawn animations or seamlessly importing existing artwork, Studio 4 enables you to lip-sync your animation, setup the action in a 3D space and publish your animation projects for TV, HDTV, the Web and iPod!Covering the entire animation workflow from sketching to final publishing, you will find Toon Boom Studio to be a great tool to create or learn animation. Once you master the aspects of Studio, you can "upgrade" to the "pro" version, Toon Boom Digital Pro - the only complete paperless animation software.
Toon Boom Studio offers intuitive and easy to use drawing tools. Take advantage of customizable grid, auto gap closing and a unique powerful Color Palette system. Use advanced features such as feathered edges or line styles to create a personalized look. With Toon Boom Studio, you can import and manage all kinds of assets, including digital pictures, swf movies or sound files. In addition to supporting all-well known standard formats, Toon Boom Studio includes advanced import and vectorizing capabilities to import and animate paper drawings or digital pictures.
Toon Boom also provides e-learning modules for use with Studio to help animation students get used to the concepts and environment of the software. Full of examples and tips, these modules take the mystery out of the animation process, and let you focus on creating your animated masterpiece.
Toon Boom Studio is available from the manufacturer, and is available for download, and demo versions of the products can be downloaded from their website.
Hash Inc Animation:Master
Animation Software Review
Hash Animation Master started life as an Amiga program (software that was around probably before most of you reading these words were even born), and if you don't know what an Amiga Computer is, Google it, and prepare to be impressed. Nowadays, however, this software supports Windows 2000, XP, Mac OS 9.2 or OS X 10.3.4 or greater.
Hash Animation Master contains many easy to use tools that, although seemingly simple are enormously powerful, and therein lies the elegance of the entire package. For a mere $200, you're getting an animation software package that should be costing thousands. Visit their website and go through the tutorials to see just how powerful this software suite is.
Even though it's a full 3D animation suite, Animation Master supports a "Toon Rendering" mode that allows for a very anime style look (or you can ramp up the level of detail to make it look like the latest PS3 games from Japan). Watch some of the Hash "Anime" films and prepare to be impressed.
Professional Cartoonist Kit
Animation Kit Review
For those of us too poor, or too young to play with the high-end anime-making software previously reviewed in this spot, we present Toysmith Professional Cartoonist Kit, a great package that allows you to create animation the old-fashioned way, with paper and pencil and making things that flip the images for you.
For ages 7 and up, simply sit down and start to create cartoon strips, flipbooks and zoetrope strips. Everything you need, including desktop, tracing underlays, templates, pencils, paper, an animation zoetrope and a 28 page drawing guide are stored in a handy portable briefcase.
Featuring Career Kid Pro Gene Hamm Draw, Damert's award winning Career Kids series give children a first hand insight into exciting professions because they truly learn from a pro! Damert has teamed up with recognized individuals in their profession, and worked closely with them to develop each aspect of the subject. They have helped pick the appropriate gear to include and have written the step-by-step book that comes with each kit. This unique approach creates an authentic connection to a actual person who is a recognized professional in their field.
eFrontier Anime Studio 5
Anime Software Review
From the software guys that brought you "Manga Studio", this program — Anime Studio — is a full-featured 2D "cartoon" animation package all in one box. Everything from simplistic "South Park" style animations to more realistic anime is within your grasp. All you need to do is draw.
Even if you can't draw, Anime Studio is packed with ready-to-use anime style characters so you can create your own animations right out of the box. Furthermore, tutorials and sample files show you how to maximize Anime Studio's powerful features giving you the jump start you'll need to begin your first project.The software's magic comes from treating the drawings as soft rubber mannequins with stiff wires inside that allow you to position the "key frames". These "bones" are not displayed in the final render, but they are visible during the animation production process, and by creating keyframe positions, the software will render the in-betweens for you by manipulating the "timeline", which is very much like an animation exposure sheet (or like the "score" from another popular animation product, Macromedia Director).
Anime Studio will output your work to AVI, MOV, and Flash formats for web-publishing (or making a very custom MySpace page!) The version shown here is limited to an animation 2 minutes in length, but, if you decide you're ready to make your own feature film they also sell a "pro" version with unlimited length.
Anime Studio takes the tedium out of animation production and allows you to create awesome looking results with only a few minutes of work. Everything from fan-parodies of existing anime to all-original epic creations are now possible — all you need is your imagination.Hollywood 2D Digital Animation:
The New Flash Production Revolution
Animation Book Review
Once upon a time, the only way to make your own animated movie was to spend a zillion dollars on paper, cels, paint, film, sound, editing, developing, etc. Now, you can do the whole thing on your computer, and do the whole thing in pretty much one application — Macromedia Flash.
This very comprehensive book gets you started in creating your own anime for broadcast or film production (as well as the web) — using the tools within Flash. Now you can achieve professional results at a fraction of the production costs. This is the future of animation production, so join the revolution now!
A look at CG Animation Figures and Statistics
We are in 2007 and pretty much everybody must have seen at least one computer generated animation, as a consequence this genre is now fully mainstream, the acceptance phase is over and now the makers need to focus on quality if they want to keep up with the past two years' outstanding figures. One way to achieve that is by making sequels as they seem to be doing well and so far the main ones are all superseding their respective originals in terms of gross earnings so expect more of those during the course of this year and the next, e.g. Hoodwinked 2, Shrek 3, Toy Story 3 and so on. Another way to get there is by being original and entertaining. Now this might seem self-obvious but you still have some productions here and there that are lacking what it takes to capture our interest.
01: $881 million - Shrek 2 (Dreamworks)
02: $865 million - Finding Nemo (Pixar)
03: $624 million - The Incredibles(Pixar)
04: $624 million - Ice Age 2 (Bluesky)
05: $529 million - Monster Inc. (Pixar)
06: $486 million - Toy Story 2 (Pixar)
07: $455 million - Shrek (Dreamworks)
08: $455 million - Cars (Pixar)
09: $406 million - Madagascar (Dreamworks)
10: $378 million - Ice Age (Bluesky)
11: $358 million - Toy Story (Pixar)
12: $358 million - A bug's life (Pixar)
Now for a more statistical approach, take a look at the chart above (source info from IMDB). It represents the 12 highest gross earnings made so far by CG Animations worldwide. The figures in the middle for each entry represents the amount of Millions of US Dollars it has made. This chart though of a very simple appearance and seemingly devoided of information beyond the basic figures, tells us a lot if we know how to look. So let us just do that !
The first thing that strikes me is the massively huge earnings made by the top two animations, not too far from 900 Million Dollars each. When you put that in perspective with the fact that ONLY 8 movies in the whole world and in the whole history of cinema have done better (namely: Titanic, Lord of the rings 2 and 3, Pirates of the carribean 2, Harry Potter 1 and 4, Starwars ep. 1, Jurassic park), you get then a pretty solid notion of the potential of CG Animations. Even the world's most successful 2D Animation, namely the Lion King, has not reached such a level of earnings (though to be honest, I must say it is not too far behind).
The second thing that strikes me in those figures is the absolute (and deserved) dominance of Pixar. Out of the 46 full length CG Animations so far existing, Pixar has managed to place 5 out of 7 releases in the top 10 and all 7 in the top 12 thus being the most successful studio in average. Dreamworks is the runner-up with 3 titles in the top 10 and the top spot for the sequel to Shrek. The third most successful studio, Bluesky with two entries in the top 10 closes the door to all the other studios which, so far have not been able to enter the upper section of the chart.
We also learn that US studios uncompromisingly dominate this genre despite a growing amount of non American studios flourishing all over the world. The language that is by far the most predominant is, without much surprise English as 12 out of 12 titles in this chart are in english in their original version and to be complete, I must say that out of the 46 hitherto existing full length CG Animations, only 8 are in a language other than English. Statistically this means that roughly 82% of all productions so far are English spoken.
Finally, this chart demonstrates that despite a few very good low budget productions out there, only the big ones manage to make their way to the top. This pattern is consistent with other types of movie entertainment e.g. 2D Animations, real characters movies and so on. But it is unfortunate that the masses are not, to a greater extent attracted by these lower budget animations which would deserve a wider audience considering what they have to offer.
One trend that could become significant in the not so distant future is perhaps a growing amount of real characters movie making directors willing to work on a CG Animation of their own as they see how mature this market has become. Luc Besson is the first one to have tried it with the recently released Arthur and the Minimoys and its two sequels already being considered, which could, why not be a refreshing addition to this genre. If this trend is confirmed, it would be interesting to see from a statistical point of view what share of commercial success would befall upon these "new" directors. The world of computer generated animations seems to have yet a few surprises up its sleeves and I for one, won't complain about it.
01: $881 million - Shrek 2 (Dreamworks)
02: $865 million - Finding Nemo (Pixar)
03: $624 million - The Incredibles(Pixar)
04: $624 million - Ice Age 2 (Bluesky)
05: $529 million - Monster Inc. (Pixar)
06: $486 million - Toy Story 2 (Pixar)
07: $455 million - Shrek (Dreamworks)
08: $455 million - Cars (Pixar)
09: $406 million - Madagascar (Dreamworks)
10: $378 million - Ice Age (Bluesky)
11: $358 million - Toy Story (Pixar)
12: $358 million - A bug's life (Pixar)
Now for a more statistical approach, take a look at the chart above (source info from IMDB). It represents the 12 highest gross earnings made so far by CG Animations worldwide. The figures in the middle for each entry represents the amount of Millions of US Dollars it has made. This chart though of a very simple appearance and seemingly devoided of information beyond the basic figures, tells us a lot if we know how to look. So let us just do that !
The first thing that strikes me is the massively huge earnings made by the top two animations, not too far from 900 Million Dollars each. When you put that in perspective with the fact that ONLY 8 movies in the whole world and in the whole history of cinema have done better (namely: Titanic, Lord of the rings 2 and 3, Pirates of the carribean 2, Harry Potter 1 and 4, Starwars ep. 1, Jurassic park), you get then a pretty solid notion of the potential of CG Animations. Even the world's most successful 2D Animation, namely the Lion King, has not reached such a level of earnings (though to be honest, I must say it is not too far behind).
The second thing that strikes me in those figures is the absolute (and deserved) dominance of Pixar. Out of the 46 full length CG Animations so far existing, Pixar has managed to place 5 out of 7 releases in the top 10 and all 7 in the top 12 thus being the most successful studio in average. Dreamworks is the runner-up with 3 titles in the top 10 and the top spot for the sequel to Shrek. The third most successful studio, Bluesky with two entries in the top 10 closes the door to all the other studios which, so far have not been able to enter the upper section of the chart.
We also learn that US studios uncompromisingly dominate this genre despite a growing amount of non American studios flourishing all over the world. The language that is by far the most predominant is, without much surprise English as 12 out of 12 titles in this chart are in english in their original version and to be complete, I must say that out of the 46 hitherto existing full length CG Animations, only 8 are in a language other than English. Statistically this means that roughly 82% of all productions so far are English spoken.
Finally, this chart demonstrates that despite a few very good low budget productions out there, only the big ones manage to make their way to the top. This pattern is consistent with other types of movie entertainment e.g. 2D Animations, real characters movies and so on. But it is unfortunate that the masses are not, to a greater extent attracted by these lower budget animations which would deserve a wider audience considering what they have to offer.
One trend that could become significant in the not so distant future is perhaps a growing amount of real characters movie making directors willing to work on a CG Animation of their own as they see how mature this market has become. Luc Besson is the first one to have tried it with the recently released Arthur and the Minimoys and its two sequels already being considered, which could, why not be a refreshing addition to this genre. If this trend is confirmed, it would be interesting to see from a statistical point of view what share of commercial success would befall upon these "new" directors. The world of computer generated animations seems to have yet a few surprises up its sleeves and I for one, won't complain about it.
Common Gateway Interface - CGI Scripts
CGI stands for Common Gateway Interface, using CGI scripts to add automation to your web site. CGI is the most common type of scripts may have one or a number of files that need to be configed to work. CGI is a server-side solution for your web sites. Some of scripts you can find mostly free like web site management, password protection, shopping carts and many more.
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is one of the most widely used server applications on the Internet. Many Web servers let you run CGI scripts written in a scripting language called Perl because it's well suited for that kind of thing. Perl is an interpretive language, so the Perl scripts you use don't have to be compiled. You just copy the Perl CGI scripts onto the right part of your server, and they're ready to go.
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts may be written in any programming language capable of following the specification. Perl is by far the most popular language for CGI programming.
CGI Mechanism
The CGI mechanism has been standardized in the following way. In the normal directory tree that the server considers to be the root, you create a subdirectory named cgi-bin. The server then understands that any file requested from the special cgi-bin directory should not simply be read and sent, but instead should be executed. The output of the executed program is what it actually sent to the browser that requested the page.
Features of CGI
1.CGI Common Gateway Interface, is a protocal script used to make your site dynamic. 2.Common gateway interface is another type of protection that basically compares then matches your login and password to known account fields. 3.Common Gateway Interface, better known as CGI, is one of the most widely used server applications on the Internet. 4.CGI (Common Gateway Interface) can do, such as process form data and auto generate dynamic content. 5.Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripting is often used to access legacy databases from an intranet.
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is one of the most widely used server applications on the Internet. Many Web servers let you run CGI scripts written in a scripting language called Perl because it's well suited for that kind of thing. Perl is an interpretive language, so the Perl scripts you use don't have to be compiled. You just copy the Perl CGI scripts onto the right part of your server, and they're ready to go.
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts may be written in any programming language capable of following the specification. Perl is by far the most popular language for CGI programming.
CGI Mechanism
The CGI mechanism has been standardized in the following way. In the normal directory tree that the server considers to be the root, you create a subdirectory named cgi-bin. The server then understands that any file requested from the special cgi-bin directory should not simply be read and sent, but instead should be executed. The output of the executed program is what it actually sent to the browser that requested the page.
Features of CGI
1.CGI Common Gateway Interface, is a protocal script used to make your site dynamic. 2.Common gateway interface is another type of protection that basically compares then matches your login and password to known account fields. 3.Common Gateway Interface, better known as CGI, is one of the most widely used server applications on the Internet. 4.CGI (Common Gateway Interface) can do, such as process form data and auto generate dynamic content. 5.Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripting is often used to access legacy databases from an intranet.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
CG What: Offering Video Effects Tutorials
Films can be very fascinating, especially those which have amazing video effects. Not only do these effects bring you to the edge of your seat, it also gives you the urge to want to learn how to do it yourself. As you watch Hollywood box-office hits, the films seem really hard to create. As much as movies seem pretty complicated to make, you can learn how to make your own video; along with the effects that you would like to add. You can do this by logging on to cgwhat.com and reading what the site has to offer to movie fans like you.
CG provides a lot of wonderful opportunities to its members. But the best opportunity that you can get from the site is its video tutorials. Through its tutorials, you will know how creating videos is done through the professional way. You can learn through Blender Video Tutorials, 3DS Max Video Tutorials, and Blender Video Tutorials. You can choose to learn by getting free tutorials on the site; or downloading DVD's. Whichever way you want to be taught, you can do it at your own convenient time.
There are a lot of animation films which use amazing visual and sound effects. If you are fascinated with animated movies, CG can teach you how to do it. All you have to do is click on the link for video training. You will be directed to the tutorials page; with choices like animation, modeling, effects, lighting, texturing, and modeling through blender. If you would like to choose the tutorial on animation, you just click on it. You will be guided to the page of animation. You can learn how to synchronize the movement of the head and the lips. Or else, you can learn how to make animated objects move.
On the other hand, rendering lighting will teach you how to create a video with the help of the right lighting effects. Tutorials on effects will show you how to make cars explode without hurting other people; or create huge fires. If you would like to become skilled at texture painting, CG will instruct you how to do it through ZBrush Video Tutorials. Anything that is related to making a video, you will learn it at CG. You can just download the tutorials in order for you to get started right away.
When you go to the free video tutorials of CG, you will be provided with choices like Dreamweave, Maya, Adobe Photoshop, MudBox, and several other video tutorials. Through these tutorials, you will know how to provide effects, rigging, modeling, and rendering. You will also learn how to use ZBrush and know more about MudBox's basics. Or else, CG will teach you how to create particle illusion or after effects. When you choose to gain knowledge at CG, you will be provided with countless information that you will never find for free. Take this chance to learn without having to pay for it. Who knows you will become one of the best filmmakers in the near future.
CG provides a lot of wonderful opportunities to its members. But the best opportunity that you can get from the site is its video tutorials. Through its tutorials, you will know how creating videos is done through the professional way. You can learn through Blender Video Tutorials, 3DS Max Video Tutorials, and Blender Video Tutorials. You can choose to learn by getting free tutorials on the site; or downloading DVD's. Whichever way you want to be taught, you can do it at your own convenient time.
There are a lot of animation films which use amazing visual and sound effects. If you are fascinated with animated movies, CG can teach you how to do it. All you have to do is click on the link for video training. You will be directed to the tutorials page; with choices like animation, modeling, effects, lighting, texturing, and modeling through blender. If you would like to choose the tutorial on animation, you just click on it. You will be guided to the page of animation. You can learn how to synchronize the movement of the head and the lips. Or else, you can learn how to make animated objects move.
On the other hand, rendering lighting will teach you how to create a video with the help of the right lighting effects. Tutorials on effects will show you how to make cars explode without hurting other people; or create huge fires. If you would like to become skilled at texture painting, CG will instruct you how to do it through ZBrush Video Tutorials. Anything that is related to making a video, you will learn it at CG. You can just download the tutorials in order for you to get started right away.
When you go to the free video tutorials of CG, you will be provided with choices like Dreamweave, Maya, Adobe Photoshop, MudBox, and several other video tutorials. Through these tutorials, you will know how to provide effects, rigging, modeling, and rendering. You will also learn how to use ZBrush and know more about MudBox's basics. Or else, CG will teach you how to create particle illusion or after effects. When you choose to gain knowledge at CG, you will be provided with countless information that you will never find for free. Take this chance to learn without having to pay for it. Who knows you will become one of the best filmmakers in the near future.
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