Why does my picked-up RigidBody3D spin out of control?

Force-driven hold (apply_central_force toward target) accumulates angular velocity from collisions. Switch to freeze + manual transform during hold, or set freeze_mode = STATIC and parent to the camera while held.

How do I hold a RigidBody3D without spin?

On pickup: body.freeze = true, body.freeze_mode = FREEZE_MODE_KINEMATIC, reparent under the hand bone. On drop: unparent, freeze = false. The body becomes kinematic and follows the hand transform exactly.

What is the difference between freeze_mode STATIC and KINEMATIC?

STATIC stops the body completely; collisions are ignored. KINEMATIC lets the body push other RigidBodies but ignores forces on itself. Use KINEMATIC for held objects that should still affect the world.

Fix: Godot 3D Picked-Up RigidBody Spinning Wildly

Quick answer: Set freeze = true with freeze_mode = FREEZE_MODE_KINEMATIC on pickup, then parent under the holder. On drop, unparent and unfreeze. Avoid force-based hold which accumulates angular velocity.

Here is how to fix Godot 4 picked-up RigidBody3D objects that spin uncontrollably while held. Force-based hold (apply force toward target) is unstable; freeze+kinematic provides clean control.

The Symptom

Player picks up a box. While carrying, the box spins faster and faster, eventually flinging itself away. Or held box behaves erratically when bumped against geometry.

What Causes This

Force-based hold instability. Continuous force toward target compounds with collision impulses; angular velocity accumulates without bound.

No angular damping. Angular damp = 0 means no resistance to rotation; small impulses build up.

Holding while still simulating. Physics keeps applying gravity, contacts; held object fights them all.

The Fix

Step 1: Use freeze + kinematic on pickup.

extends CharacterBody3D

var held: RigidBody3D

func pickup(body: RigidBody3D):
    held = body
    held.freeze = true
    held.freeze_mode = RigidBody3D.FREEZE_MODE_KINEMATIC
    held.reparent($Camera/HoldPosition)
    held.position = Vector3.ZERO

func drop():
    if held == null: return
    var world_pos = held.global_position
    held.reparent(get_tree().root)
    held.global_position = world_pos
    held.freeze = false
    held = null

Reparenting to the camera makes the body follow head movement exactly without spinning.

Step 2: Add angular damping for fallback.

body.angular_damp = 5.0   # strong resistance to rotation

Even when not held, this prevents accumulated spin from light collisions.

Step 3: Lock rotation axes if needed.

body.lock_rotation = true   # no rotation at all
# or per-axis
body.axis_lock_angular_x = true
body.axis_lock_angular_y = false
body.axis_lock_angular_z = true

Step 4: For physical hold (Half-Life style), use a constraint. A PinJoint3D between the held body and a hand bone provides physics-correct hold without manual freeze. More complex setup but more interactive.

Step 5: Verify drop preserves position. When dropping, capture global_position before reparenting; reapply after to avoid sudden teleports.

“Freeze + kinematic + reparent. Three steps for stable hold without spin.”

Related Issues

For RigidBody2D sleep, see RigidBody2D Sleep. For 3D character stairs, see 3D Stair Stepping.

freeze + kinematic on pickup. Reparent to hand. Unfreeze on drop. Held objects stay still.