Feedback from current students
“I’m sure students have told you this, but you are doing incredible work for the Digital Design program. After you joined as the coordinator, you shared resources that you created. You provided students with opportunities outside the classroom to work on these skills in a professional setting. To this day, I still see you providing and improving opportunities for students, even if they are not part of your class. You work alongside them so they can share that feeling when their artwork comes alive.” — Alfredo Rojas (4th year)
”Your video tutorials are extremely effective. As a student with ADHD, these especially help. Instructions are clear, well-paced, and presented both visually and in an auditory format, allowing me to refer back as many times as needed. I’ve learned faster than ever! You rock!” — Nova Kruger (2nd year)
“You’re my favorite professor. Thank you for all you do. We all appreciate everything you do.” — Cade Parkinson-Gee (3rd year)
Feedback from former students
“Once again, I thank you very much for your support and all your help during the past semesters. I wanted to thank you for the enthusiastic and well-prepared lectures, your professionalism, and your patience. Some teachers asked us why we liked your classes. The answer was always very obvious.” — Nadia Jaramillo (CG Artist at Blue Zoo Productions in London, UK)
“Hi Richard. Just wanted to let you know how amazing a professor you are! I really appreciate all the valuable lessons I learned from you. You truly are amazing at what you do, and I'm so grateful to have had the privilege of having your guidance the past two years! NJIT is so lucky to have you!!” — Lori Kim (now at Pratt, getting her MFA)
“Hey, Richard. Just wanted to say how thankful I am to have had you as my professor. I learned and absorbed so much from your classes, and I continue to use your Vimeo tutorials to this day. I want to say that your method of teaching is so effective that I’m honestly having trouble learning from some of the professors at Montclair.” — Albert Marmolejos (now at MSU, completing his bachelor’s degree)
“I'd just like to add once again how thankful I am to have had you as a professor. You are hands down one of, if not the most caring and hardworking person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and your classes were nothing short of a treat! I had gone through some very rough times outside of the classroom, but the atmosphere you had created in the classroom helped all my troubles melt away and encouraged me to focus on learning and growing creatively, and I will always be thankful for that!” — Thomas Torre
Digital Clowns
First time running this elective: Digital Clowns. Students designed, modeled, textured, and rigged original characters. They then performed and captured clownish routines using LiDAR and AI-driven motion capture (MoCap) technologies, retargeting and cleaning up the data. Here is a group pose.
Student Evaluations
“I learned SO many skills in this course! Character modeling, AI motion capture, animation techniques, aesthetic texturing and design, and acting. It’s the whole package!”
“So many great skills learned, and the fact that at the end I have a portfolio–ready animation to share.”
“One of the strongest aspects of this course was finally gaining a clear understanding of how motion capture functions. The assignment framework—specifically the directive to create a clown character—was an effective way to promote creativity while still providing structure. The course pushed us to focus on movement, expression, and performance. This approach made it clear that character believability comes from physicality and nuance, not just visual detail.”
“I learned a tremendous amount about what it takes to bring a character to life and how substantial the workflow behind motion capture truly is. The lessons from this course will directly influence how I plan and manage production timelines in the future. Most importantly, this class sparked a genuine interest in motion capture as a field, and I am excited to continue exploring it beyond the semester.”
“Professor Thompson is a great instructor and continuously provides feedback and teaches new skills when using Maya. His promptness in providing guided video feedback is excellent.”
“Richard is an incredible professor! He is so helpful, and I feel like I’m going to succeed after his courses. I feel proud of my work and feel like I have portfolio-ready pieces. He genuinely cares about every one of his students and their work. Honestly, the most helpful, knowledgeable, and effective professor I’ve ever had. The digital clown course was an amazing addition to the curriculum. I feel lucky to have been able to take it!”
“Great educational materials and great instructor.”
“Richard Thompson is an absolute joy of a professor. His classes and any studio he teaches are held in high regard for a reason; he cares deeply about his students' work, and he will go out of his way to help. Richard is very prompt in responding to messages, and he takes a lot of time out of his day to personally take a look at projects and give constructive feedback. In addition, he is very knowledgeable on the subjects he teaches.”
“Richard is always available to assist us with any concerns or questions and keeps the course engaging, even if it is a lot for one professor to manage. I feel that he wants to bring out the best in us and let us learn about the design process and its integration in the design industry. I love having him as a professor.”
“Professor Thompson is very effective. He offers personalized help for every student and is deeply invested in the course. His passion for the material comes out in everything he says. All of his direction/ critique is constructive and helpful.”
“Richard has never steered me wrong; I always enjoy being in his classes and I find I've learned the most from him more than any other instructor at NJIT in my history here.”
“Richard is great! I wish I could've had him sooner. Super knowledgeable and is great at teaching the material. His videos are so helpful, and even when he doesn't have one for your issue, he will make one. I believe that is amazing. Genuinely one of the best professors at HCAD. He knows what he's talking about.”
“Great instructional materials provided, always available outside of class with help and custom videos.”
“I believe Richard introduced a fundamental and much–needed component of animation to NJIT, one that has the potential to strengthen the curriculum significantly. I am genuinely grateful for the opportunity to work closely with him and to gain hands–on experience with the LiDAR system. Through this class, I was able to create a portfolio piece that I am truly proud of, and I regained a spark for animation and production planning that I had been missing.”
“This course has been transformative for my development, and I am excited to see it become further integrated into the program. Richard’s guidance and expertise were essential to making the experience so impactful.”
“Professor Thompson is the best professor in HCAD hands down, knowledgeable, helpful, encouraging, but still keeps us grounded for our projects. Very enthusiastic and pushes us to produce the best we can within constraints.”
“Professor Thompson is one of the single best professors I have ever had. I have never met someone who cares as much as he does about his students and his work.”