Dynamic Parent addon (free)
My top recommendation in the Dynamic Parent Category is the free (and aptly named) “Dynamic Parent” addon.
It automates the process of attaching an object or a bone to multiple “parents” in the scene with the ability to easily control which parent currently controls the child object.
An example usage is when a character needs to pick up an object that is not attached to the character’s hand initially. Or conversely, holding an object and then dropping it. Or even passing an object from one hand to the other, or from one animated character to another.
Dynamic Parent uses Blender’s Child of constraint in the background. While it is possible to create the exact same effect without the addon, the Child of constraint is full of technical gotchas. Chances are, you’ll experience unpredictable “jumping” of the child object, especially when you attempt to create multiple parent switches in a row. And even if you have the technical know-how to do it, the process would be slow and error-prone.
So save yourself the trouble and use the Dynamic Parent addon. 😊
Similar Addons
You will find other similar paid addons in this category. Some of them will cost you money while doing more or less the same thing as Dynamic Parent. They are presented for completeness or in case this free addon stops working.
However, you’ll also find addons that achieve a similar effect but using a different approach.
For example, the “Grab-it” addon achieves the illusion of parent switching by creating copies of the child object and hiding and unhiding them when the parent switch occurs. This can also be an good solution to this problem.
“Animation Snapper Pro” on the other hand uses quick animation baking to create the illusion of “parenting” between objects but in reality nothing gets parented or constrained at all. This is a very elegant solution that can be easily exported out of Blender.
