Since the beginning of computer graphics, realism has been one of the most important goals facing artists and programmers alike. Jurassic Park, released in 1993, became a landmark moment in cinema history because it showed the whole world that 3D computer-generated images could be rendered realistically. It changed the movie industry forever.
On the surface it might seem that we have reached the target: computer-generated images can be realistic. In reality the solution is not at all that simple. Even with powerful software, achieving realism is very difficult. A typical Hollywood blockbuster using a lot of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) requires the dedicated work of many experts for years in order to achieve any level of realism. Movies such as Avengers or Iron Man cost north of 200 million dollars to be realized and a lot of that cost is in paying CGI artists for their time and expertise.
It would be reasonable to think that hyper-realism is out of reach for the hobbyist or...