Russell L. Thomas

Russell Lee Thomas, also known as TheAllusionist, is an American designer, and entrepreneur. Best known for his 3D rendering, computer graphics, and computer generated imagery work. He is the founder of 3DAllusions LLC and it’s subsidiaries 3DAllusions Studio (3DAS), an architectural visualization and rendering studio, 3DAllusions (3DA), and MrMaterials (MrM). 3DAllusions, LLC. is based out of Washington State in the Pacific Northwest. He is a member of ASAI, the American Society of Architectural Illustrators, in the field of architectural illustration.
Early Life and Education
Thomas was born to Jay and Helene Thomas and raised in Yakima, Washington. He went to A.C. Davis High School, attended Yakima Valley College and graduated with a BS and a Bachelor’s degree in architecture from School of Architecture in 1992.
He restored a vintage 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster coupe into a street rod as his first car and still has it today. This early interest for fast cars remained and to this day. These past experiences created the foundation for his unusual stability in both logical and artistic endeavors.
Career
Thomas started working in the field of architecture in 1992 after graduating from architectural school. He worked in various firms throughout the Pacific Northwest which included operations of national accounts of corporations such as Barnes & Noble.
In 2000, he founded 3DAllusions (3DA) as an online portfolio, which transformed into a website to support the CG and Architectural and Design community. The online 3D studio were rebranded as 3DAllusions Studio (3DAS). Following this, MrMaterials (MrM) was created as an online materials repository for ‘Mental Ray’ render engine and later to include materials for ‘finalRender’ by Cebas.
In addition to providing online resources for the CG community, Thomas works as beta testing software and helping software developers and content vendors.
Through his online community, 3DAllusions, and the contest and challenges that he held, Thomas hand-selected artists to work with. 3DAStudio became a hybrid between a typical studio and outsourcing agency, creating an international team of artists with an established home base operating out of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. 3DAS enjoys success working for architects and developers as well as for manufactures such as JELD-WEN Architectural Doors and Windows doing product illustration.
In February of 2020, 3DAllusions celebrated it’s 20th anniversary and started focusing on additional areas of visualization.
Personal Life
Thomas is married to Kristine M. Thomas, who he has known since 7th grade. Thomas continued to work in the field of architecture as a Project Manager while running 3DAllusions, LLC. and its subsidiaries. His interest for automobiles and architecture crossed over between professional and personal life throughout his career.

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