How to interact with something attached to the player?

I’m trying to figure out how to attach a simple backpack mesh to the player, so when you reach for your back and press a button, you pull out a backpack to interact with. I’m doing this in the VR template.

I would create a backpack actor blueprint with a collider and a mesh component. Then on the player begin play I would spawn an object of this type and use an AttachToComponent and so you can attach the backpack to a socket placed in the character skeletal mesh, probably on one of the spine bones. Then you can use the usual collision events to run the behaviour when you want to.

How would I go about using the default third person character in vr?

What do you mean?

" VR template doesn’t have a body, its just the hands, so I was trying to use the character from the third person template, since I need a bone to attach things to. I just haven’t figured out how to do the IK yet."

I have done this a few times - mostly to give me an external BP that follows my VRplayer around as a Character and sets me up with another layer of components to play with - it helps me have enemy AI detect the player better.
Anyway, how to:

You’ll want to create a separate actor(as MacDx mentioned) - I like using a blank character, but I have my own situational reasons for this - you can go with a blank actor - but if you want your “body-double” to use a skeletal mesh you should maybe go with blank pawn or blank character (includes a valuable movement component).

Under the Tick event of your new actor - you can set its own transform (relative or normal i think both work) to match that of the VR origin, VR cam, VR col (Something on your VR Pawn!), etc. Or if you need to move your VR player position in real time - you can do the reverse and have your VROrigin follow your new Actor’s transform (this is not recommend unless you’re making a game with a player in constant motion that wont get them sick).

Use “set actor world transform” or “set actor world position” something like that - not too hard to find and use.
Can get more detailed if you need!

Cheers!

*edit - quick additional note - I call upon the new Actor or Components within my VRPawn by “Call all actors by Class” Or “Call all actors by Interface” (i use IFs alot) or call the actor the way you see fit. Then I use “Component Has Tag” node to really get specific about my component I’m calling - thus remember to TAG all your components to be later called!

The VR template doesn’t have a body, its just the hands, so I was trying to use the character from the third person template, since I need a bone to attach things to. I just haven’t figured out how to do the IK yet.