With the advent of the World Wide Web in 1991, open source and free 3D software became accessible to everyone. This fostered a participatory culture wherein many amateurs could take part. By copying and pasting bits of code generative art could be created by anyone.
Computer modelled hand from the world's first ever 3D rendered movie in 1972. At the time computers were way too slow to process complex shapes. Polygon count were reduced to the max.
In 1968 Ivan Sutherland and his student Bob Sproull created the first VR / AR head mounted display (Sword of Damocles) that was connected to a computer and not a camera. The computer generated graphics were very primitive wireframe rooms and objects.
The Utah Teapot is one of the first “complex” primitives and has become an inside and sometime references in some 3D movies, but it is still nowadays the Hello World of 3D programming.
For a long time, 3D simulations had limited applications and were predominantly used in basic visualizations that consisted of primitive 3D forms. For example, models consisting of coloured spheres and pipes were used in the field of science to illustrate molecular structures.