SolidMeta vs CGAI
CGAI combines computer graphics with generative AI: CG or CAD data keeps the product correct, and AI makes the scene, light and motion. Companies such as ZeroLight and Effekt-Etage sell it as a managed service, and ZeroLight also as products and white-label tools, mainly to automotive brands. SolidMeta takes a different route: image and video models generate the whole frame, product, light and reflections together, from the CAD, 3D or photos you approved, and every frame is checked against them. Your own team, or the agency you already work with, produces it.
Facts as of 1 November 2026 · Sources
Side by side
| Topic | SolidMeta | CGAI providers |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A production platform your team works in: self-serve plans or Enterprise. | CG combined with AI, sold as a managed service. ZeroLight also sells its own CGAI products and white-label tools, which work on the 3D data ZeroLight imports during onboarding.[1][2][9] |
| Who does the work | Your team, or your agency, inside SolidMeta. | The provider's artists and AI experts, from your brief. Brands and agencies can also use ZeroLight's SpotLight Suite themselves, once ZeroLight has imported their 3D data.[2][12] |
| Starts from | CAD (STEP, JT, CATPart and more), 3D models, product photos or a script, imported by your own team, with no onboarding by a provider. | A 3D digital twin of the product. For SpotLight Suite, ZeroLight imports the 3D models and product data as part of onboarding.[2][3][10] |
| Product accuracy | Auto Heal checks every frame against your CAD or photos and reports each fix before sign-off. | CG supplies the product's correctness and AI the scene, with the provider's creative direction.[4][11] |
| How the frame is made | Image and video models generate the whole frame from your source: the product, the light and the reflections in one pass, like a photograph. | CG or real-time rendering of the product combined with generative AI for the scene, in the providers' own words.[4][11] |
| Cost | By our estimate, up to 80% lower cost than traditional CG production for a typical hero still: CAD prep, look development, light matching and compositing fall away. | No prices published.[2][9] |
| Getting started | Sign up and start today. Published prices: Free (no AI), Pro $25 a month, Studio from $49 per seat, Enterprise on request. | Sales-led: a trial on request (ZeroLight) or a quote per project (Effekt-Etage). No prices published.[2][9] |
| Security | European clients' data processed in the EU; on-prem on Enterprise. | ZeroLight states ISO 27001 certification, hosted on AWS. Effekt-Etage states TISAX and ISO 9001.[5][8] |
| AI labelling | A machine-readable AI marker in every image and video, plus optional visible EU AI labels. | ZeroLight: C2PA content provenance.[2] |
| Beyond images and film | Storyboards, shot planning and screenwriting (Loom). | Configurators, pixel streaming, VR/AR, and web and app work.[7][11] |
Where each is stronger
Where a CGAI provider is stronger
- Done for you: strategy, creative direction and finished assets from a brief, with no in-house team needed.
- The provider builds the digital twin from your CAD data.
- Configurators, pixel streaming and VR/AR, which SolidMeta does not build.
- White-label tools and APIs to build your own CGAI services (ZeroLight).
- Long automotive track records, and published ISO 27001, or TISAX and ISO 9001, attestations.
Where SolidMeta is stronger
- By our estimate, up to 80% lower cost than traditional CG production for a typical hero still, because the CG steps fall away.
- Self-serve: your team imports its own CAD, 3D or photos, with no provider onboarding, at published prices.
- Your team owns the production: the boards, settings and every version stay in your workspace.
- Every frame is checked against your own CAD or photos, and each fix is reported before sign-off.
- Starts from photos or a script as well as CAD, and covers script, storyboard, shots, the cut and delivery.
- Runs in the cloud with EU processing, or on-prem and air-gapped on Enterprise.
Who advertises CGAI
These companies offer CGAI by that name. The list is not complete.
-
ZeroLight
A UK company in Newcastle upon Tyne offering a visualisation platform, CGAI content production and creative services, mainly for automotive brands.[7]
- Defines CGAI as "the powerful combination of computer graphics and artificial intelligence technologies".[1]
- SpotLight Suite: "the CGAI content creation platform for brands and agencies", built on approved 3D digital twins.[2]
- On getting 3D data into SpotLight Suite: "We take care of importing your 3D models and product data into SpotLight Suite as part of your onboarding."[2]
- Three ways to buy: its CGAI products, white-label CGAI tools and APIs, or a brief to its team of artists and AI experts.[1]
- Also pixel streaming (OmniStream), configurator software (Palette SDK) and VR.[7]
- Sales-led with a trial on request; states ISO 27001 certification.[2][5]
- Case studies name Nissan, Corvette, Suzuki UK, Mitsubishi, Kia and Aston Martin.[6]
-
Effekt-Etage
A CGI and AI production studio in Berlin and Munich, working for brands for over 20 years, mainly in automotive.[8][12]
- Offers CGI and CGAI content creation, single images and series, high-end product film, configurators and immersive experiences.[8]
- Describes CGAI as the product correctness of CG combined with AI and human creative direction.[11]
- Sells strategy, creative and CGAI execution; prices are quoted per project.[9]
- Published examples include a BMW Motorrad job with 450+ assets from a digital twin.[10]
- States TISAX and ISO 9001.[8]
Which one fits
Choose a CGAI provider if…
you want finished CGAI content from a brief, need a digital twin built for you, or need configurators, streaming or immersive work alongside it.Choose SolidMeta if…
you want to produce CGAI stills and film yourself, or give your agency a faster pipeline, starting from your own CAD or photos and keeping every version in your workspace.Questions about SolidMeta and CGAI
What is CGAI?
CGAI combines computer graphics with generative AI. The product comes from CG or CAD data, so it stays correct, and AI creates the scene, the light and the motion around it.
How is SolidMeta different from CGAI?
In CGAI, the product is rendered in CG and AI makes the scene around it, so CAD prep, look development, light matching and compositing stay on the job. SolidMeta generates the whole frame, product, light and reflections together, from your CAD or photos, and Auto Heal checks the product against that source.
Which companies offer CGAI?
ZeroLight and Effekt-Etage advertise CGAI by that name. Agencies and brands that want the same product accuracy without the CG steps can produce in SolidMeta themselves.
Does SolidMeta replace CG work?
Not all of it. Shots that need real CG, like configurators, still do. Existing CG models and CAD become the source for AI production, so the work is not rebuilt.
Sources
- ZeroLight, CGAI visualisation: https://zerolight.com/solutions/cgai-visualisation (accessed 1 November 2026)
- ZeroLight, SpotLight Suite: https://zerolight.com/spotlight-suite (accessed 1 November 2026)
- ZeroLight, automotive visualisation: https://zerolight.com/industries/automotive-visualisation (accessed 1 November 2026)
- ZeroLight, new CGAI tools (8 Oct 2026): https://zerolight.com/news/new-release-cgai-content-production-spotlight-suite (accessed 1 November 2026)
- ZeroLight, security: https://zerolight.com/security (accessed 1 November 2026)
- ZeroLight, customers: https://zerolight.com/customers (accessed 1 November 2026)
- ZeroLight, homepage: https://zerolight.com (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Effekt-Etage, homepage: https://effekt-etage.de (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Effekt-Etage, expertise: https://effekt-etage.de/expertise (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Effekt-Etage, inside: https://effekt-etage.de/inside (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Effekt-Etage on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/effekt-etage-gmbh/ (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Effekt-Etage, careers: https://effekt-etage.de/careers (accessed 1 November 2026)
ZeroLight and Effekt-Etage are trademarks of their owners. SolidMeta is not affiliated with any of them. This page compares publicly available information as of 1 November 2026; products and prices change. SolidMeta's own facts are on the About page and the pricing page. Something out of date? Write to info@solidmeta.io and we will correct it.
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