Interaction SDK provides five grab interactor types organized across two dimensions: input modality (hands or controllers) and range (near-field or far-field). Each type is purpose-built for a specific combination of these dimensions.

This page explains the differences between grab types and helps you select the right combination for your use case. For setup instructions, see the dedicated pages linked in Learn more.

Grab interaction types

ISDK organizes grab interactors into two parallel tracks: a hand and a controller. Each track offers a near-field and a far-field variant.

Hand grab types

HandGrabInteractor: Near-field grab for hand tracking. Selects objects through rigidbody overlap with per-finger detection and supports authored HandGrabPose assets for precise finger placement. Grab types include Pinch, Palm, or All (default: All).

DistanceHandGrabInteractor: Far-field grab for hand tracking. Selects objects through conical frustums and supports authored HandGrabPose assets with per-finger rules. Grab types include Pinch, Palm, or All (default: Pinch).

TouchHandGrabInteractor: An experimental near-field alternative for hand tracking. Uses sphere overlap per joint and generates procedural (collider-based) hand poses instead of authored ones.

Controller grab types

GrabInteractor: Near-field grab for controllers. Selects objects through rigidbody overlap combined with an ISelector interface (for example, a trigger press). Does not use hand poses or finger rules.

DistanceGrabInteractor: Far-field grab for controllers. Selects objects through conical frustums combined with an ISelector interface. Does not use hand poses or finger rules.

Comparison table

CDH = controller-driven hands

Dimension	Hand Grab	Distance Hand Grab	Controller Grab	Distance Grab	Touch Hand Grab
Input	Hands + CDH	Hands + CDH	Controllers (+ hands)	Controllers	Hands + CDH
Range	Near (arm’s reach)	Far	Near (arm’s reach)	Far	Near
Selection	Rigidbody overlap + per-finger	Conical frustums	Rigidbody overlap + `ISelector`	Conical frustums + `ISelector`	Sphere overlap per joint
Hand poses	Authored (`HandGrabPose`)	Authored (`HandGrabPose`)	None	None	Procedural (collider-based)
Finger rules	Yes (per-finger)	Yes (per-finger)	No	No	N/A (collider-driven)
Grab types	Pinch / Palm / All (default: All)	Pinch / Palm / All (default: Pinch)	N/A (`ISelector`)	N/A (`ISelector`)	N/A
Status	Stable	Stable	Stable	Stable	Experimental

Key relationships between types:

HandGrabInteractor and DistanceHandGrabInteractor share the IHandGrabInteractable interface, so they use the same hand poses, finger rules, and grab type settings.

GrabInteractor and DistanceGrabInteractor both rely on ISelector for external selection logic.

HandGrabInteractable and DistanceHandGrabInteractable integrate with the Grabbable component and its transformer system for object movement. The other types use their own movement mechanisms.

Decision guide

Select a grab type based on the input modality and range your interaction requires.

Input	Range	Grab type
Hands	Near-field, authored poses	`HandGrabInteractor` / `HandGrabInteractable`
Hands	Near-field, procedural poses	`TouchHandGrabInteractor` / `TouchHandGrabInteractable` (experimental)
Hands	Far-field	`DistanceHandGrabInteractor` / `DistanceHandGrabInteractable`
Controllers	Near-field	`GrabInteractor` / `GrabInteractable`
Controllers	Far-field	`DistanceGrabInteractor` / `DistanceGrabInteractable`
Both	Any	Combine multiple interactable types on the same object

For most applications, start with HandGrabInteractor for near-field interactions and DistanceHandGrabInteractor for far-field interactions. Add the corresponding controller grab types if your application also supports controllers.

Combining types on one object

To support multiple input modalities, add multiple interactable components to the same GameObject. Grab interactable types are designed to coexist.

Key behaviors when combining types:

Shared hand poses: HandGrabPose assets are shared between HandGrabInteractable and DistanceHandGrabInteractable. You do not need to duplicate poses when both are present on the same object.

Automatic setting propagation: When you add a DistanceHandGrabInteractable to a GameObject that already has a HandGrabInteractable, the distance variant auto-copies the grab type settings, grab rules, and hand poses.

Quick Actions wizard: The Quick Actions wizard supports adding all interaction types to an object.

Common combinations:

Combination	Purpose
HandGrab + DistanceHandGrab	Near and far grab with hands
HandGrab + Grab	Hand and controller near grab
HandGrab + DistanceHandGrab + Grab + DistanceGrab	Full support for all modalities and ranges