Max Thomas
Professor of Practice Creative Media Industries Institute- Specializations
Clemson (South Carolina), B.S., 2008
Savannah College of Art & Design, M.A., M.F.A. 2018
- Biography
Max Thomas is a CMII Professor of Practice, specializing in game design, virtual and augmented reality, and immersive content creation pipelines. In the Institute, Prof. Thomas teaches courses in game design, animation, and computer graphics imaging.
Thomas completed undergraduate studies at Clemson, earning a B.S. in Sociology. At the Savannah College of Art Design, he completed graduate training resulting in an M.A. in Visual Effects and an MFA in Motion Media Design. His thesis work there, completed in 2018, focused on real world object integration in VR. Using HTC Vive world space tracking and SteamVR Trackers, Thomas tracked a 1:1 digital model of a Casio 88-key MIDI piano in Unreal Engine 4; the experience enables users wearing Noitom Hi5 VR gloves to see their hands and interact both with the piano and the Guitar Hero inspired user interface.
Thomas was a part of two GSU-affiliated animation teams that have successfully competed in international events. In 2018, a team including Max, Joel Mack, and Shaw Walters won a Reallusion Asiagraph 48 hour qualifying event held in Atlanta; at the subsequent finals held later that summer in Taipei, the team won the 2018 Asiagraph Facewear Best Technique Award.