Unit 1 - Lamp Hop

I will be exploring the process of bringing an inanimate object to life, focusing on one inspired by Pixar's famous character, Luxo Jr. For this task, I will utilise the freeware rig "Pixo Jr.," created by Armit Dehgawen and Alex Crouch from highend3d.com. This exercise will enable me to infuse rhythm and personality into a mechanical, lifeless object, while also gaining insight into the mechanics of this object based on real-world principles.

To start, I create thumbnails for the 16-frame cycle. This process and the principles behind the cycle are consistent with all animation cycles, but there are a few additions specific to the object involved. You have -

• start

• anticipation

• lift

• pass

• contact

• squash

• overshoot

• settle

This cycle is quite straightforward at this point, so I am confident in creating it. One aspect to keep in mind is that, knowing this cycle would eventually include a performative element, I began at frame 101. This allows me to add some animation at the start to smoothly transition into the "hop" cycle, making the animation more engaging.

The rig has minimal controls, making it very easy to navigate, especially since the "lamp" has limited movement. This exercise also explores several technical abilities, such as copying and pasting the curve so the lamp can hop multiple times in place by simply increasing the Z translation on the lamp.

Alternatively, by using pre and post infinity curves, setting the start and end frames to the same pose allows the lamp to hop in place for as long as needed. I aimed to emphasise the weight for this rig, as the lamp would be made of metal with a heavy base, so I wanted each hop to appear as if it required effort.

One aspect I incorporated was a continuous hopping cycle, where the lamp consistently hops onto spots. As the lamp hops, pauses, and hops again, it was challenging to ensure it moved onto each spot without sliding or the spots moving too quickly or slowly, or shifting while the lamp was stationary. To address this, I had the lamp hop in place and adjusted the root control on the Z translation at a constant speed. I executed this cycle once, so the lamp actually only hops once. I then created these "spots" evenly spaced and parent constrained them to the root control. This ensured that when the root control moved, the spots moved at exactly the same speed and position from start to finish. I was then able to "loop" the cycle in After Effects to create the continuous hopping effect.

I created these versions before adding a "performance".

After creating this cycle, I wanted to add a performance that pays homage to the original Luxo Jr. Thus, I decided to design the lamp to be playful, much like a dog. I aim for the performance to have an air of mystery while keeping the environment simple, ensuring the focus remains on this character. I conceived a concept where Pixo Jr. encounters some "spots." After pausing to investigate, it takes a chance and jumps onto the first one. Finding it secure and enjoyable, the character continues to jump or hop along. As it approaches one of the spots, it pauses to build anticipation, then leaps high into the air, only to fall straight into a spot that turns out to be a black hole. Pixo Jr. lifts its head out of the hole and looks at the camera in embarrassment.

This was an exciting project to create, adding a thrilling element to this hop cycle. The most challenging aspect was crafting the "black hole." While I'm proficient in modeling basic props, I needed to design the floor in a way that deceives the eye without revealing the trick. The other spots were cylindrical polygons, allowing for shadows from the lamp. The black spot was "cut-out" on the floor or plane using the cylindrical polygon to match its size exactly. I then positioned another plane below at an angle, applied a black shader, making it appear like the other spots, but it's actually a hole.

Creating this animation was both inspiring and exciting, and I especially enjoyed using this rig.