The only one I can help you with is your 2nd example... To keep the sword and hand together, you parent the sword to the hand, not the other way around. Position the sword into the hand in the starting position and then (with the sword prop)selected, click the menu bar at Object then go to Change Parent (there are a multitude of ways to do this step, this is just my preference) and then click the hand you want the object parented to. I haven't any idea how to parent and object to both hands and would LOVE to know how. I do images with 2-handed weapons and it is a pain in the neck to get the other hand into place at times.