Sure, you can place objects in front of a virtual lens. But to make it look right is a significant effort in itself. A purely synthetic object takes an army of

Sure, you can place objects in front of a virtual lens. But to make it look right is a significant effort in itself. A purely synthetic object takes an army of artists to create, an another more for compositing (blending in and adjusting to the optical conditions of existing footage). Such tremendous effort seem discounted by audiences nowadays with the abundance of CGI.