Holding and throwing/dropping objects

[mdmodeler]

I'm using Moho 12. When I have a character that has to hold something then let it go, I've been using the technique of adding the layer object (ball, gun, knife, etc) to the character's bone group, then associate a new bone to this layer parented to the character's hand. Then in the animation, I'll unparent the bone from the character's hand in order for them to drop or throw the object.
Is this the best practice? (Alternative approach?)
How does this work if you are using reference bone layers? I haven't tried this yet but can you move a layer object in the animation project to the referenced character's bond group?

[Greenlaw]

That's a pretty common method.

Alternatively, you can make two copies of the item and switch the visibility at the moment of contact. I generally prefer this method because it's a simpler setup, and it can be easier to line things up for the exchange. With the bones/dynamic parenting method, it can sometimes get trickier to correct if you've changed the animation.

There are pros/cons with each technique, and it may also depend on what the character is doing and what else is going on in the scene.

Either way should work fine though. Use the method that's easier for you and gets the best result.

[mdmodeler]

Alternatively, you can make two copies of the item and switch the visibility at the moment of contact. I generally prefer this method because it's a simpler setup, and it can be easier to line things up for the exchange. With the bones/dynamic parenting method, it can sometimes get trickier to correct if you've changed the animation.

Actually, that is method I used. I said "move" in my original post but I see in my projects, I'm actually duplicating the object (ball, knife, etc) then moving the duplicate into the bone layer.
I need to see what will happen when I use this workflow with bone layers that are referenced (referencing an external object in another project).

[Greenlaw]

Ah, sorry, misunderstood.

Regarding referenced bone layers, dynamic bone parenting does get passed down to the references. To be sure, I just now made a reference layer of a simple arm setup, keyframed the arm picking up a bone, and this action was matched in the reference. Pretty much anything keyframeable should get passed down from the original layer to the references.

If you happen to break the animation link, you can re-link it with the original using Sync Channel to Original.

As mentioned earlier, this can get tricky if you need to change the animation later (i.e., child bone may 'pop' to unexpected locations.) Because I might get asked to change an animation often, I generally prefer the other method--to me, swapping visibility is usually more predictable and easier to edit.

[mdmodeler]

@Greenlaw - So it sounds like my current process may be the best practice

[Greenlaw]

I would say probably, but be sure to play around with the other technique when you have time. It's useful to know about and could be more suitable in another situation.