Dr. Adam Watkins

Watkins has been teaching 3D animation and game design techniques for over 20 years. He is the author of over ten books including current industry best sellers Getting Started in 3D with Maya and Creating Games with Unity as well as over 100 articles on animation and game creation techniques.

Watkins has served as Chief Technology Officer, Creative Director or Studio Manager for a variety of studios including the Justice Media Lab and VISIBLE Studios at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He is currently the owner and CCO of the 3D studios Spoon Designs, LLC and Augmented Ideas, LLC.

Watkins currently serves as the department coordinator for 3D Animation and Game Design.

Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
PhD, Higher Education
Major: Education Administration

Utah State University, Logan, Utah
Master of Fine Arts
Major: Art
Emphasis: 3D Animation

Utah State University, Logan, Utah
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Major: Theatre Arts
Emphasis: Set & Lighting Design

Coordinator
3D Animation and Game Design
University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX

Full Professor
3D Animation and Game Design
University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX

Studio Owner
Spoon Designs, LLC
- Game and Interactive Development

Developer and CTO
Augmented Ideas, LLC
- AR and VR tool and game development

Software Developer and Artist
VISIBLE Team
Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Training and simulation illustrations and games

CTO
Justice Media Lab, Inc.
- Courtroom, interactive simulations and illustrations

Shipped Apps, Software, and Games

October 2019

Picasso to Hockney: Modern Art on Stage | Interactive Exeter Spanish Dancer
Exhibit allowing users to choreograph Exeter’s Spanish Dancer at the McNay Art Museum.

January 2019

Estampas Chicanas | Making HERstory: Rebel Activists 1940-Today

Onsite iPad app to accompany the Estampas Chicanas exhibition at the McNay Art Museum. This in-gallery app includes backgrounds of important Latina historical figures including Dolores Huerta, Emma Tenayuca, Judy Baca, and Emma Gonzalez.

January 2018

Seth Eastman's Journey with a Sketchbook

Onsite interactive map that allows museum visitors to explore the journey of Captain Seth Eastman as he traveled and documented the Mississippi River, through the Gulf of Mexico and the Texas Hill Country. This app made use of “second screen” technologies to make interaction available to all patrons in the space.

October 2017

Nightmare Before Christmas Stop Motion

Stop-motion creating application in support of the McNay Art Museum’s “Nightmare Before Christmas” exhibition. App allowed for patrons to create custom stop motion movies that were exhibited in realtime within the exhibition.

Presentations

March 2017 11th international conference on design principles & practices - Chicago, ill

“Traditional Cinematography for 3D Animators” - (Paper Co-Author, Presenter: Dora Fitzgerald) Training 3D animators is much more than just teaching animation software. 3D animation students must “speak” the same language as traditional film techniques to ensure compelling and understandable digitally-based narratives.

March 2017

11th International Conference on Design Principles and Practices - Chicago, ill

“Anatomy for Animators: A Tag Team Approach” - (Co-Presenter with Jing Tian Li) Balancing new software with anatomy can be a daunting task for young modelers. Separating the modeling process from the anatomy knowledge through two intertwined courses yield results.

March 2017

11th international conference on design principles and practices - Chicago, ill

“A Time to Plan: Creativity Workshop Credits for 3D Production” - (Paper Co-Author, Presenter: Matt Tovar) Expecting students to produce well-designed and well-produced animations and games is unrealistic without proper planning. We look at the results of providing curricular space for production design and planning.