Lamp Hop - a Great Addition to Your Demo Reel

Lamp hop by Lisa Springett

A simple lamp hop exercise can be a great addition to your animation demo reel.  One of the most iconic pieces of character animation ever created is Luxo Jr. — the hopping desk lamp that launched Pixar into the spotlight back in 1986. 

The lamp hop is one of the first exercises that students tackle at Animation Apprentice, and a reminder that you don’t need a complex character rig to show personality, weight, and storytelling.  A simple lamp hop animation can still be a great addition to a demo reel - just keep it short and witty - like the example above by Lisa Springett. 

Animate a "Take" with the Luxo Lamp

Animate a "Take" reaction shot with the Pixo Jr lamp

In this simple free tutorial we show how to animate a "take" (a reaction shot), with the Pixo Jr lamp rig which you can download from highend3d.com. 

The tutorial is a simple one, aimed at animation beginners, but it helps if you are already familiar with the Maya Interface.  Follow the thumbnails below to replicate the tutorial.