RICHARD THOMPSON is a 3D artist and an associate professor at NJIT, where he coordinated the Digital Design program for the last two years. His career spans over 35 years of experience in the creative and collaborative arts industry on a variety of award-winning projects. He received the 24-25 Faculty Award for Rising Star in Research and Scholarship, and his teaching has just been recognized with a Nexus of Excellence Award in the category of Excellence in Innovation in Education. Previously, when at Middlesex College, he was presented with an Excellence in Teaching Award.

His animated short film, M0D3RN T1M3Z, has won awards at 28 national and international film festivals. His 3D artwork, Nonna, was showcased at the Rockland Arts Festival and won an award at the ICE CineFest. Another piece, Speechless, was also exhibited. His animated short film script, La Piazza, has been selected at 9 film festivals, winning two awards.

His creative work and ongoing research focus on bringing virtual characters to life, visual storytelling through animation, and the interrelation between the history of clowning and digital character performance. In the industry, he worked as an animator and 3D designer in the production pipeline for Word World, a multi-Emmy Award-winning TV series.

In an earlier career as an actor and playwright, he appeared on and off-Broadway in Tony and Obie award-winning plays; he was nominated for a Helen Hayes Best Actor Award for the role of Jimmy Porter in John Osborne’s Look Back In Anger; and his play, Hunting Humans, won several Drama-Logue awards, including for best writing.

M.F.A. ; Catholic University of America ; Acting ; 1989

B.A. ; Georgetown University ; History and French ; 1986

AD 490 - ST: DIGITAL CLOWNS: AI-DRIVEN MOTION CAPTURE

AD 493 - INDEPENDENT STUDY

● NJIT Excellence in Innovation in Education.
● Middlesex College Excellence in Teaching Award.

I have three overarching principles:

(i) To anticipate industry trends by integrating cutting-edge technology into the classroom.
(ii) To incorporate original research and innovative creative work, enriching the learning experience.
(iii) To implement innovative teaching plans, scaffolding rigorous yet achievable learning objectives.

Anticipating Industry Trends

I apply strict criteria to every new tech tool: Does it mirror industry trends? Can the specific technology improve learning outcomes? Does the use serve to democratize education?

While all three criteria are important, the third matters most to me. Coming from a privileged background, I feel a strong mission to help level the playing field for less advantaged students. Democratizing access is even more in the spotlight now with the rise of AI tools. Recently, HCAD funded my request to license Autodesk’s new AI-driven motion capture (MoCap) platform, Flow Studio—an affordable alternative to traditional systems that gives our students a competitive edge. I am also exploring Movin Tracin, another MoCap system that utilizes LiDAR technology and machine learning. This past summer, I secured CEIE AI grant funding to explore Text-to-Video platforms—tools that could redefine digital storytelling and design. Their potential is vast, but critical evaluation of narrative cohesion and character intent is essential. Previously, at Middlesex College, I anticipated the industry impact of Substance Painter (now Adobe 3D Painter), and we were one of the first colleges to provide students with licensing.

Incorporation of original research and innovative creative work to drive improved student outcomes

My award-winning animated short film, M0D3RN T1M3Z, influenced by Charlie Chaplin’s performance as an animatronic in The Circus, was initially created as a teaching tool for my students. I used my creative workflow to design several scaffolded video tutorial series to support the learning objectives. I received confirmation that this was successful based on student outcomes and film festival-related interviews, reactions, and feedback.

I use the same AI-driven motion capture platform piloted in my studio for my own creative project, King Karno. This directly informs my teaching, as students see me navigating the same workflows alongside them. Under my mentorship, five Digital Design students completed URI research projects. Beyond this, I’m co-designing a cross-disciplinary elective where Digital Design and Informatics students will develop a game prototype, and I am advising an honors student on Collaborative Puppetry: A Multidisciplinary Exploration in Stop Motion Design.

Innovative teaching strategies to scaffold rigorous yet achievable learning objectives

I use a range of teaching methods in the classroom, studio, and one-on-one to foster engagement and immersion. I act out animation sequences, use a neutral mask to demonstrate body movement, and introduce key concepts like anticipation through playful activities, such as an imaginary game of dodgeball. Like Walt Disney, I guide students in analyzing Charlie Chaplin’s performances to deepen their understanding of human expression. I balance these creative exercises with essential technical instruction to help students achieve their design goals. Beyond class, I foster community by launching a thriving Discord server that connects Digital Design students across cohorts. I also invite guest artists, use grading rubrics, promote peer instruction, and showcase exemplary student work to foster motivation.

A key teaching tool is my personal library of nearly 6,000 custom, screen-captured tutorials (500+ created since Fall 2023), organized into scaffolded sequences and shared via Vimeo and Discord. These videos accelerate in-class learning, support independent review, and now underpin three studios and a foundational course. Students frequently cite them as transformative, even those outside my classes.

I am also leading a restructuring of NJIT’s Digital Design curriculum to better scaffold skills development. When I arrived, graduates struggled with 3D topology, texturing, rigging, and animation. Now, students master these by their second year, strengthening later work. Recent winners and runners-up of the juried Design Showcase emerged directly from this redesigned curriculum.

I regularly share my teaching methods at conferences and will soon co-chair a session at SECAC. My presentation, Structured Flexibility: Leveraging Creative Constraints for Effective 3D Design Education, will showcase what we are doing at NJIT to ensure learning remains rigorous yet achievable.

● HCAD Faculty Award for Rising Star in Research and Scholarship
● 28 Film Festival Awards for M0D3RN T1M3Z (an animated short film)
● 3D Artwork exhibited

Authenticity in Movement: Building Empathy for Immersion in the Age of AI

Using experiences from my past career as a professional actor, and the latest advances in inertia-based, AI- and LiDAR-driven motion capture, I aim to study movement – specifically what makes us recognize life in movement. I posit that authenticity in movement trumps all else in creating an empathic link between digital characters and their audience, which would otherwise remain elusive. The Uncanny Valley and soulless deepfakes cause rifts between the viewer and their immersion in the visual narrative. A moving, breathing, living human proves to be a cognitive challenge by creating discord between perceptual clues. My research seeks to bridge the empathetic divide: first, by defining how we perceive authenticity in the animated movement of living things; second, by noting where present designs fail; and lastly, by developing a set of best practices that can be used to achieve greater authenticity and immersion.

How we perceive authenticity in the animated movement of living things

When we look at something, we unconsciously look for meaning. We are sensitive to detail, discerning subtle cues, such as the characteristic gait of a human or animal, that distinguish living entities from inanimate objects. Prior experience and learning kick in along with our perception of context and behavioral consistency. Facial expressions and gestures also play a role, but not as important as we may think. Foremost in the recognition of authenticity in animation, life-like movement must be characterized by fluidity and intentionality: we need to interpret it as having agency, rather than random or mechanical. Living things, by their nature, react to environmental stimuli with purpose.

Where present designs fail

There are many examples in film of audiences being alienated by digital representations of humans despite the groundbreaking marvels of technology. The appearance of Princess Leia at the end of Rogue One – a technological coup, perhaps – was an unnecessary cinematic ploy that probably only hurt audience immersion. Nor did it help matters that this Leia felt overly still and robotic in her movement and did not appear to react convincingly to stimuli in her environment. Examining why instances such as these come up short and determining how much authenticity in movement played a part would help us develop a set of best practices.

Development of best practices to achieve greater authenticity and immersion

There is no greater human reference for animation than Charlie Chaplin. A deep dive into a technologically driven analysis of his physical performances and those of other influential clowns will provide a foundation for techniques and solutions for animating authentic movement. However, it is only through practice and creative production that these lessons can be tested, plumbing the sometimes subtle but important difference between visual authenticity and visual accuracy in design. As such, this analysis also directly informs my creative work. My animated short film, M0D3RN T1M3Z, influenced by Chaplin’s performance as an animatronic in The Circus, has to date won 28 awards at film festivals. My present work-in-progress, King Karno, is inspired by a study of the performance movement of several prominent clowns, using AI-driven motion capture.

In my future at NJIT, I expect to continue with this scholarly research and creative works agenda, while targeting grants that explore these questions. It is also my goal to remain open to interdisciplinary collaboration with the potential to affect many industries. This commitment, in turn, will provide many of our students with valuable hands-on experience – in fact, it already has.