diff --git a/libraries/animation/src/Rig.cpp b/libraries/animation/src/Rig.cpp
index 67dfbec24a..378bd55667 100644
--- a/libraries/animation/src/Rig.cpp
+++ b/libraries/animation/src/Rig.cpp
@@ -165,6 +165,7 @@ void Rig::destroyAnimGraph() {
 void Rig::initJointStates(const FBXGeometry& geometry, const glm::mat4& modelOffset) {
 
     _geometryOffset = AnimPose(geometry.offset);
+    _invGeometryOffset = _geometryOffset.inverse();
     setModelOffset(modelOffset);
 
     _animSkeleton = std::make_shared<AnimSkeleton>(geometry);
@@ -193,6 +194,7 @@ void Rig::initJointStates(const FBXGeometry& geometry, const glm::mat4& modelOff
 
 void Rig::reset(const FBXGeometry& geometry) {
     _geometryOffset = AnimPose(geometry.offset);
+    _invGeometryOffset = _geometryOffset.inverse();
     _animSkeleton = std::make_shared<AnimSkeleton>(geometry);
 
     _internalPoseSet._relativePoses.clear();
@@ -272,24 +274,6 @@ void Rig::setModelOffset(const glm::mat4& modelOffsetMat) {
     }
 }
 
-bool Rig::getJointStateRotation(int index, glm::quat& rotation) const {
-    if (isIndexValid(index)) {
-        rotation = _internalPoseSet._relativePoses[index].rot;
-        return !isEqual(rotation, _animSkeleton->getRelativeDefaultPose(index).rot);
-    } else {
-        return false;
-    }
-}
-
-bool Rig::getJointStateTranslation(int index, glm::vec3& translation) const {
-    if (isIndexValid(index)) {
-        translation = _internalPoseSet._relativePoses[index].trans;
-        return !isEqual(translation, _animSkeleton->getRelativeDefaultPose(index).trans);
-    } else {
-        return false;
-    }
-}
-
 void Rig::clearJointState(int index) {
     if (isIndexValid(index)) {
         _internalPoseSet._overrideFlags[index] = false;
@@ -446,6 +430,23 @@ void Rig::calcAnimAlpha(float speed, const std::vector<float>& referenceSpeeds,
     *alphaOut = alpha;
 }
 
+bool Rig::getJointData(int index, JointData& jointDataOut) const {
+    if (isIndexValid(index)) {
+        jointDataOut.rotation = _internalPoseSet._absolutePoses[index].rot;
+        jointDataOut.rotationSet = !isEqual(jointDataOut.rotation, _animSkeleton->getAbsoluteDefaultPose(index).rot);
+
+        // geometry offset is used here so that translations are in meters, this is what the avatar mixer expects
+        jointDataOut.translation = _geometryOffset * _internalPoseSet._absolutePoses[index].trans;
+        jointDataOut.translationSet = !isEqual(jointDataOut.translation, _animSkeleton->getAbsoluteDefaultPose(index).trans);
+        return true;
+    } else {
+        jointDataOut.translationSet = false;
+        jointDataOut.rotationSet = false;
+        return false;
+    }
+}
+
+
 void Rig::setEnableInverseKinematics(bool enable) {
     _enableInverseKinematics = enable;
 }
@@ -1232,21 +1233,44 @@ void Rig::copyJointsIntoJointData(QVector<JointData>& jointDataVec) const {
     jointDataVec.resize((int)getJointStateCount());
     for (auto i = 0; i < jointDataVec.size(); i++) {
         JointData& data = jointDataVec[i];
-        data.rotationSet |= getJointStateRotation(i, data.rotation);
-        // geometry offset is used here so that translations are in meters.
-        // this is what the avatar mixer expects
-        data.translationSet |= getJointStateTranslation(i, data.translation);
-        data.translation = _geometryOffset * data.translation;
+        getJointData(i, data);
     }
 }
 
 void Rig::copyJointsFromJointData(const QVector<JointData>& jointDataVec) {
-    AnimPose invGeometryOffset = _geometryOffset.inverse();
-    for (int i = 0; i < jointDataVec.size(); i++) {
-        const JointData& data = jointDataVec.at(i);
-        setJointRotation(i, data.rotationSet, data.rotation, 1.0f);
-        // geometry offset is used here to undo the fact that avatar mixer translations are in meters.
-        setJointTranslation(i, data.translationSet, invGeometryOffset * data.translation, 1.0f);
+
+    if (_animSkeleton) {
+
+        std::vector<bool> overrideFlags(_internalPoseSet._overridePoses.size(), false);
+        AnimPoseVec overridePoses = _animSkeleton->getAbsoluteDefaultPoses();  // start with the default poses.
+
+        ASSERT(overrideFlags.size() == absoluteOverridePoses.size());
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < jointDataVec.size(); i++) {
+            if (isIndexValid(i)) {
+                const JointData& data = jointDataVec.at(i);
+                if (data.rotationSet) {
+                    overrideFlags[i] = true;
+                    overridePoses[i].rot = data.rotation;
+                }
+                if (data.translationSet) {
+                    overrideFlags[i] = true;
+                    // convert from meters back into geometry units.
+                    overridePoses[i].trans = _invGeometryOffset * data.translation;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        ASSERT(_internalPoseSet._overrideFlags.size() == _internalPoseSet._overridePoses.size());
+
+        _animSkeleton->convertAbsolutePosesToRelative(overridePoses);
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < jointDataVec.size(); i++) {
+            if (overrideFlags[i]) {
+                _internalPoseSet._overrideFlags[i] = true;
+                _internalPoseSet._overridePoses[i] = overridePoses[i];
+            }
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/libraries/animation/src/Rig.h b/libraries/animation/src/Rig.h
index 363006d48c..7446fddc47 100644
--- a/libraries/animation/src/Rig.h
+++ b/libraries/animation/src/Rig.h
@@ -104,12 +104,6 @@ public:
 
     void setModelOffset(const glm::mat4& modelOffsetMat);
 
-    // geometry space
-    bool getJointStateRotation(int index, glm::quat& rotation) const;
-
-    // geometry space
-    bool getJointStateTranslation(int index, glm::vec3& translation) const;
-
     void clearJointState(int index);
     void clearJointStates();
     void clearJointAnimationPriority(int index);
@@ -119,8 +113,6 @@ public:
 
     // geometry space
     void setJointTranslation(int index, bool valid, const glm::vec3& translation, float priority);
-
-    // geometry space
     void setJointRotation(int index, bool valid, const glm::quat& rotation, float priority);
 
     // legacy
@@ -237,8 +229,12 @@ protected:
     void updateEyeJoint(int index, const glm::vec3& modelTranslation, const glm::quat& modelRotation, const glm::quat& worldHeadOrientation, const glm::vec3& lookAt, const glm::vec3& saccade);
     void calcAnimAlpha(float speed, const std::vector<float>& referenceSpeeds, float* alphaOut) const;
 
+    // geometry space
+    bool getJointData(int index, JointData& jointDataOut) const;
+
     AnimPose _modelOffset;  // model to rig space
     AnimPose _geometryOffset; // geometry to model space (includes unit offset & fst offsets)
+    AnimPose _invGeometryOffset;
 
     struct PoseSet {
         AnimPoseVec _relativePoses; // geometry space relative to parent.
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
index 9c556dc42b..784044da2e 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
@@ -121,6 +121,8 @@ void AvatarData::setHandPosition(const glm::vec3& handPosition) {
     _handPosition = glm::inverse(getOrientation()) * (handPosition - getPosition());
 }
 
+#define WANT_DEBUG
+
 QByteArray AvatarData::toByteArray(bool cullSmallChanges, bool sendAll) {
     // TODO: DRY this up to a shared method
     // that can pack any type given the number of bytes
@@ -329,7 +331,7 @@ QByteArray AvatarData::toByteArray(bool cullSmallChanges, bool sendAll) {
     }
 
     #ifdef WANT_DEBUG
-    if (sendAll) {
+    //if (sendAll) {
         qDebug() << "AvatarData::toByteArray" << cullSmallChanges << sendAll
                  << "rotations:" << rotationSentCount << "translations:" << translationSentCount
                  << "largest:" << maxTranslationDimension
@@ -339,7 +341,7 @@ QByteArray AvatarData::toByteArray(bool cullSmallChanges, bool sendAll) {
                  << (beforeTranslations - beforeRotations) << "+"
                  << (destinationBuffer - beforeTranslations) << "="
                  << (destinationBuffer - startPosition);
-    }
+    //}
     #endif
 
     return avatarDataByteArray.left(destinationBuffer - startPosition);
diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/udt/PacketHeaders.h b/libraries/networking/src/udt/PacketHeaders.h
index b98a87e439..e0d854ab71 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/udt/PacketHeaders.h
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/udt/PacketHeaders.h
@@ -174,7 +174,8 @@ const PacketVersion VERSION_LIGHT_HAS_FALLOFF_RADIUS = 57;
 
 enum class AvatarMixerPacketVersion : PacketVersion {
     TranslationSupport = 17,
-    SoftAttachmentSupport
+    SoftAttachmentSupport,
+    AbsoluteFortyEightBitRotations
 };
 
 #endif // hifi_PacketHeaders_h
diff --git a/libraries/render-utils/src/Model.cpp b/libraries/render-utils/src/Model.cpp
index 2fe4427333..e4c414d30b 100644
--- a/libraries/render-utils/src/Model.cpp
+++ b/libraries/render-utils/src/Model.cpp
@@ -726,10 +726,6 @@ glm::vec3 Model::calculateScaledOffsetPoint(const glm::vec3& point) const {
     return translatedPoint;
 }
 
-bool Model::getJointState(int index, glm::quat& rotation) const {
-    return _rig->getJointStateRotation(index, rotation);
-}
-
 void Model::clearJointState(int index) {
     _rig->clearJointState(index);
 }
diff --git a/libraries/render-utils/src/Model.h b/libraries/render-utils/src/Model.h
index 581184918d..6a7c9ec560 100644
--- a/libraries/render-utils/src/Model.h
+++ b/libraries/render-utils/src/Model.h
@@ -252,10 +252,6 @@ protected:
     /// Returns the scaled equivalent of a point in model space.
     glm::vec3 calculateScaledOffsetPoint(const glm::vec3& point) const;
 
-    /// Fetches the joint state at the specified index.
-    /// \return whether or not the joint state is "valid" (that is, non-default)
-    bool getJointState(int index, glm::quat& rotation) const;
-
     /// Clear the joint states
     void clearJointState(int index);