Animate a Jump with "Monty"

In this simple Locomotion and Mechanics Tutorial we show how to animate a jump with a simple character, using the "Monty" rig, free for download at HighEnd3D.com.  

The idea is to get a basic jump working, that feels fluid and believable, with weight and balance. You can read more about the Monty rig and how to use it here. The tutorial is aimed at animation beginners in Autodesk Maya. 

Monty Jump 

 

How to Animate a Jump

To get started, watch the Theory Video below:

Animating a Jump

"Monty" jump thumbnails

The "Monty" jump is similar to the Lamp Hop that students tackle as part of the initial Locomotion and Mechanics tutorials.  

Start off with an anticipation, then lift the character off the ground, and then land again. 

Monty Rig

This tutorial uses the "Monty" rig, free for download at HighEnd3D.com. You can read more about the Monty rig and how to use it here.

Make Monty Feel Heavy

Monty jump animation

The trick is to give Monty a sense of weight, so that the landing feels heavy, with gravity acting on the character. 

As with everything we do in 3D animation, the actual character rigs have no weight in and of themselves.  We must simulate weight, because (unlike, say, stop motion animation), the rigs have no actual intrinsic weight of their own. 

Jump Tutorial

You can find the jump tutorial videos below. The password is the same as for all our video tutorials.

Jump Tutorial Part 1

Meet "Monty"

https://vimeo.com/848398778

Jump Tutorial Part 2

https://vimeo.com/848399071

Jump Tutorial Part 3

https://vimeo.com/848400725

Jump Animation

To see some examples of jumps animated by our students, check out the examples below:

Jump Animation by Rich Jeffrey

Jump Animation by Jing Wee Tan

To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link.