I found out then when you parent a prop to a figures bodypart, the props centerpoint changes to whatever the centerpoint is for the figures bodypart. Is there a way to avoid this? Perhaps with a pythonscript that changes the props centerpoint back to what is was before it was parented?

Well, it doesn't really lose its own centerpoint. In these images the box is the child, the ball is the parent. I moved the centerpoint of the box downward before parenting to make it more visible. In the image with this message, the box is Z-rotating with respect to its parent (ball). You can see that the rotation is around the box's own center.

In this image, the ball is Z-rotating. You can see that the box's centerpoint itself is now moving around the center of the ball. So you could say that the box now has a new "second center". You might look at my Foster Parenting script if you want to tie two things together without this second rotation. I'm not sure if this is the same action you want, though... (Search freestuff for Foster to find it.)

Yes it doesn't loose it's centerpoint, but it snaps to whatever the centerpoint is of the figure you are parenting it too. You can always move it's centerpoint after you've parented it but I thought there would be a way so you don't have to do that. At least this snapping happens for me, maybe because I tick inherit bends? I have to have that ticked though.

I'll look at that script, thanks!

There is a hidden "realign" choice in parenting, which is only available through Python. To try it out, here's a SUPER-SIMPLE and hard-wired script. I haven't found that it makes any difference, but it might be what you want. import poser scene=poser.Scene() Parent=scene.Actor("ball_1") Child=scene.Actor("box_1") Child.SetParent(Parent,0,0) To try it with your real stuff, just fill in the actual names of actors in the quoted parts. The second zero in SetParent(Parent,0,0) is what turns off the "realign" option.

If this does what you want, tell me and I'll make a nicer script with listboxes for child and parent. (I have templates for this sort of stuff, so I can run it up in a few minutes.)

I have a problem running that script, it says it can't find the named actor of the parent. The figure I'm trying to parent to is called BASE, and I'm trying to parent to this figures leftFoot. I've tried BASE:lFoot, lFoot:2, lFoot:BASE...

Assuming your child thing is a free-standing prop named "whatever", this should do it...... import poser scene=poser.Scene() TheFig=scene.Figure("BASE") Parent=TheFig.ActorByInternalName("lFoot") Child=scene.Actor("whatever") Child.SetParent(Parent,0,0)

That seems to have done it:) The centerpoint didn't move and it's now parented. However is it possible to also specify in the script that the prop inherits bends, like in the Poser parenting pop up? One last question:) I understand that in a pose file you can tell it to load whatever you want, even a python script. Would it be possible to have a pose file that just loads this prop(perhaps also using python) and uses just those lines of script you wrote to parent it to the figure?

Sure. The first zero is for Inherit. If you write SetParent(Child,1,0) you'll get InheritBends=On and Realign=Off. On the pose file: I'll have to think about that. The "startup script" works in a CR2, but I haven't found how to make it work in a PZ2. It may or may not be possible. Stewer probably knows the answer to this one.

Ok, thanks a lot for your help ockham:) This is all kind of new to me but you have explained it very well. So happy this works it was driving me nuts.