Abstract This research considers the production and presentation of 3-D CGI animation where the intention is to explore the potential of this mode of practice as material. Through a practical and theoretical study, this research project outlines the proposal that within the context of 3-D CGI animation there exists a property that can be regarded as unique, or deemed as an essential quality, which in turn can be defined as material. The research refers directly to work developed by Structural/Materialist filmmakers and artists working in the 1960s and 1970s whose investigation into process and materiality acts as a method and potential framework for exploringapproaches and processes within 3-D CGI animation. The project asks the following questions: 1. Is it possible through a practical exploration to establish distinctiveness for 3-D CGI animation? 2. Can theoretical research in relation to media studies, film studies, specifically Structural/Materialist film assist to support and shape project development? 3. Can the practical work associated with the project and theoretical undertaking converge to support a basis for determining an individual characteristic for 3-D CGI animation? Hypothesis My hypothesis in relation to the expected findings and outcomes for the project can be distilled to form two strands: 1. That 3-D CGI is definable as a unique mode of production and can be classified as distinct from other digital modes of image production. That the result of the research will point towards a conceptualisation for 3-D CGI where as a process it has the capacity and the influence to be considered as a unique, discreet mode of production. That the qualities and the self-styled artefacts that emerge from the digital mass can be determined as definable products linked to a specific process.