How to Fix Left-Hand Clipping in Unreal Engine 5

Fix left-hand clipping in Unreal Engine 5 weapon animations by creating a custom idle pose and assigning it in the demo setup.

Summary / Table of Contents

• Introduction

• Before You Start (Prerequisites)

• Create a Custom Idle Pose (Fix Left-Hand IK Clipping)

• Test in the Demo Map (Assign the Pose in the Weapon Data Asset)

• How the Demo Left-Hand Grip and IK Setup Works

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Introduction

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This guide shows you how to fix left-hand clipping in Unreal Engine 5 first-person weapon animations. It’s especially common after swapping in a custom weapon mesh, because the new model’s proportions rarely match the original.

If you’ve been following How to Import a Custom Weapon Model, you most likely ran into this issue. The left hand ends up clipping through the weapon mesh, and it looks pretty rough.

The fix is straightforward. You’ll make a small custom idle pose, save it as a new asset (so the original stays untouched), and then assign it in your weapon data asset (or whichever system you're using).

Here’s what the issue typically looks like:

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Before You Start (Prerequisites)

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You’ll get the cleanest results when your character setup matches the demo assumptions:

• Your character mesh must be rigged to the UE5 Manny skeleton (matching hierarchy).

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Create a Custom Idle Pose (Fix Left-Hand IK Clipping)

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1

Locate the Original Idle Pose

First, find and open the original idle pose you want to base your edit on.

It’s located here:

InfimaGames/TacticalFPSAnimations/Weapons/WeaponName/Animations/Character/FP/Poses

You’ll use this pose as the base, then save your changes as a separate animation sequence.

That way you don’t overwrite anything.

2

Adjust the Left-Hand IK Bone (ik_hand_l)

The demo setup automatically attaches the hands to the weapon using IK (FABRIK). That’s nice because it keeps things stable and avoids jitter.

It also means you should adjust the IK bone, not the hand bone directly.

So for left-hand placement, edit:

• ik_hand_l

And not:

• hand_l

In this example, the hand is clipping through the mesh. Select ik_hand_l and move it slightly on the X axis to pull the hand away.

One small annoyance: the preview doesn’t update in real time while you tweak the bone, so it's a bit tricky to get it right on the first try.

3

Save a New Animation Pose Asset

Once you’re happy with the placement, save it as its own animation sequence:

Create Asset → Create Animation → Current Pose

Give it a clear name like A_FP_Idle_Pose_Custom. I also recommend creating a separate folder for them, so it’s easy to find later.

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Test in the Demo Map (Assign the Pose in the Weapon Data Asset)

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Now let’s test it the easy way using the included demo logic.

1. Find the data asset for your weapon and open it.

1. Find FP Idle Pose.

2. Replace it with your new custom pose.

Now hit Play in the demo map and you’ll see the result right away:

This is a quick fix, and it’s not meant for huge pose changes.

If your custom grip is very different, you’re usually better off either:

• creating a full set of new poses from scratch, or

• using a more advanced IK setup that can change the left-hand position dynamically.

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How the Demo Left-Hand Grip and IK Setup Works

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If you’re curious what’s happening under the hood, here’s the short version. This is also why editing ik_hand_l (and not hand_l) is the correct approach when using the included demo logic.

Pose Selection (Per Grip / Attachment)

Each grip/attachment has its own custom pose assigned. Based on which grip is currently active, the demo swaps out the pose (via an enum switch).

Blending (So Reloads Don’t “Pop”)

The left-hand pose is added on top of base locomotion and montages using a Layered Blend Per Bone node. This blend applies to the left arm, including the left-hand IK bone.

The blend weight is driven in real time by a montage notify state: Left Hand Grip (ANS_TFA_LeftHandGrip).

This setup lets you blend out during reloads, then blend back in near the end. Without that you’d get a super obvious pop between the poses.

IK Attachment (FABRIK)

The hands are attached to the weapon using FABRIK nodes. So the IK bones control the final placement.

If you want to inspect the setup yourself, check these AnimBPs:

• First Person Base Character AnimBP (ABP_TFA_FP_BaseCharacter)

• Third Person Base Character AnimBP (ABP_TFA_TP_BaseCharacter)

You can find them here:

InfimaGames/TacticalFPSAnimations/Common/Core/Characters

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