A Computer Animated hand is a 1972 short film created by Edwin Catmull and Fred Parke.
Created as a graduate project, the film is one of the first examples of 3D computer graphics. It features a 3D representation of Catmull's left hand opening, closing and pointing at the viewer. The film is considered a milestone in the history of computer graphics. In creating it Catmull, who later went on to become president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, tackled concepts that would become fundamental principles in computer graphics.
The laborious technical process included the creation of a plaster model of Catmull's hand. To map a set of coordinates, 350 interlocking triangles and polygons were drawn onto the model hand effectively creating a wireframe.
Rendering and animation was achieved using a program that Catmull had written himself.
Library Of Congress film essay by Andrew Utterson