Lee Thomason

leethomason at mindspring dot com
OBJECTIVE

To create, design, and engineer great software.

 

SKILLS

C/C++, 2D vector and bitmap graphics, 3D graphics, sound, Windows, OpenGL, XML, desktop systems, embedded systems, API design, project planning, technical leadership, and team management.

 

EXPERIENCE

Flash Player Architect, Macromedia & Adobe 7/2000 - current

Lead for the Flash Player technical vision and strategy, distributed to 98% of the world's desktops.

  • Establish strategy both for the desktop and mobile (smart phone) client.
  • Responsible for long range direction, and responding to short term changes.
  • Oversee interoperability and consistent API design.

Prototyped the next generation of web graphics technology, including coding, research, and forming the cross team effort.

Flash 8. Managed the 10 person development team. Wrote the Scale9 and Saffron integration features (spec, C++ code, and bug fixing.) Prioritized all player bugs, and wrote the project plan and schedules with the Engineering Director and QA Manager. Acquired, with business development, the Saffron text technology and ON2 Video Codec.

Flash 7. Prototyped new player architectures. Designed and coded a virtual machine for executing CLR bytecode. Lead developer on the team to integrate a Java Virtual Machine.

Flash 5 & 6. Created a cross platform, portable version of the Flash Player code base. After using this as the basis for the 5 SDK, led the effort to convert the existing desktop Flash Players to the generalized code base, which is now the foundation for all Flash Player codebases.

Lead Engineer, Middlesoft 7/1999 – 7/2000 (purchased by Macromedia)

The first engineer for a startup building a "palm-top" user interface for embedded devices. Became the Lead Engineer for a thirteen person team. Designer, project lead, and manager of the majority of Middlesoft’s projects.

Wrote the rendering code for a vector graphics based GUI. Developed handwriting technology simulating the feel of "pen on paper." Created the Flash Player 4 SDK for Macromedia.

Software Engineer II, 3DO 3/1999 - 7/1999

PC and Playstation programmer for “Army Men: Air Attack.” Extended a 3D world builder and wrote the light shader. Updated the Air Attack’s audio engine.

Software Engineer, Berkeley Systems Inc. 4/1998 - 3/1999

Part of the “Cosmic Consensus” client/server game team from design until completion. (1999 Codie Nominee for Best Online Game.) Primary tasks were writing the user interface, main game screen, and contributing to the design of the wholly object based system.

Owner, Grinning Lizard Software 1993-1996

Co-founder of a small computer company. Lead programmer and lead artist for the multiplayer OS/2 video game "Bug Eyed Monsters: It Crawled from the Net" released June 1996 by Rhintek. Extensive work in C/C++, multimedia, and high-performance algorithms. Worked for Rhintek to create the modem communications product RhinoCom.

 

OPEN SOURCE
and
PUBLICATIONS
  • “More OpenGL Game Programming”, Thomson Course Technology, 2006. Wrote the “Billboards” section and accompanying demo code.
  • TinyXml. A popular and simple XML parser used in many other projects, including Code::Blocks, Notepad++, and BloodRayne 2.
  • Lilith3D Geo-Morphing Engine. A 3D game engine.
  • MicroPather. A* solver and pathfinder used in AI systems.
EDUCATION

University of California Berkeley.

MS Mechanical Engineering 1997.

Virginia Tech.

BS Engineering Science and Mechanics 1993, Minors in Physics and Mathematics. Graduated Commonwealth Scholar and Magna Cum Laude.

NASA Langley co-op and team captain of a human powered submarine team.

References available upon request.