Question Grab Points and animating.

[Aminator]

I've never used grab points but I was just checking out a scene that uses them for movement.
Can I use grab points to make an animation and then record it and delete them? I tried doing that with the scene I was looking at but as soon as I deleted the grab points the animation went wonky.

What can you do with these things? They look like they might be useful.
I haven't been able to find out much searching the forums and wiki.

 

[MacGruber]

I think you want to do it like this:

1. Attach grab points to various character controls (hands, feet, hip, etc.), ideally with the actual offset you have from where the controller will be in the real world. Its pretty ok for hands, but for example if you possess the Hip control...your VR controller obviously won't be "inside" you...you will wear it front or back with a belt/strap of some kind. So, use the GrabPoint to account for that offset.
2. Possess the grab points
3. Record the actual character controls, not the GrabPoint's (using Timeline or VaM-buildin recording)

You should also be able to convert an existing animation. E.g. record actual character controls while you play the animation of the GrabPoints.

 

[Aminator]

I tried using them a bit yesterday and it makes animating much cleaner in situations like bending over and grabbing something.
The 50_shades Keep Fit scene uses grab points but when I tried to record the animation and then delete them I was left with a messy partial animation.
Maybe it was the physics settings or something.
I'll try again. It looks like it could greatly help with fast movements like swinging a whip or a sword.

I just want to be able to get rid of the grab points after or I forget they're there and eventually do something that explodes the physics.

 

[Aminator]

I put grab points on the head hands and hip and did a little bending over animation. The grab point animation is in timeline and then I recorded the animation also in timeline. When I switched off the grab points and played it I was left with a mess.
I don't know if I'm doing it right.
The controls don't seem to be moved by the grab point. Maybe I'm not parenting right.

 

[Aminator]

I was able to make a pretty good animation by parenting the hands to a cylinder and then draging the hands together into a position and keyframing the hand controls.