Socket
Named attachment point on a mesh or bone
Also known as: Mesh socket · Bone socket · Attach point · Weapon socket
Definition
A socket is a named attachment point on a mesh or a bone, used to attach other objects such as weapons, hats, torches or effects. A socket on a Skeletal Mesh follows the bone it is attached to, so a sword stays in the hand through the whole animation. You can set an offset and rotation per socket, and give the same name on different characters so one item attaches to all of them.
In production
Create sockets in the Skeleton or Skeletal Mesh editor, place them in the hand, on the back or on the head where the item should sit, and preview with an item attached. Keep socket names consistent across characters, for example weapon_r, so gameplay and Blueprint logic can find them. Static Meshes can have sockets too, for placing effects or snapping modular pieces together.