diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
index 1c126b7587..7baee5f06a 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
@@ -75,8 +75,16 @@ int AvatarData::getBroadcastData(unsigned char* destinationBuffer) {
     memcpy(destinationBuffer, &_headData->_leanForward, sizeof(_headData->_leanForward));
     destinationBuffer += sizeof(_headData->_leanForward);
 
-    // Hand Position
-    memcpy(destinationBuffer, &_handPosition, sizeof(float) * 3);
+    // Hand Position - is relative to body position
+    glm::vec3 handPositionRelative = _handPosition - _position;
+    memcpy(destinationBuffer, &handPositionRelative, sizeof(float) * 3);
+
+    printf("handPositionRelative=%f,%f,%f\n",handPositionRelative.x, handPositionRelative.y, handPositionRelative.z);
+    printf("_handPosition=%f,%f,%f\n",_handPosition.x, _handPosition.y, _handPosition.z);
+    printf("_position=%f,%f,%f\n",_position.x, _position.y, _position.z);
+
+packVec3ToBytes(NULL, handPositionRelative, -1.0f , 1.0f, 4);
+
     destinationBuffer += sizeof(float) * 3;
 
     // Lookat Position
@@ -156,10 +164,15 @@ int AvatarData::parseData(unsigned char* sourceBuffer, int numBytes) {
     memcpy(&_headData->_leanForward, sourceBuffer, sizeof(_headData->_leanForward));
     sourceBuffer += sizeof(_headData->_leanForward);
 
-    // Hand Position
-    memcpy(&_handPosition, sourceBuffer, sizeof(float) * 3);
+    // Hand Position - is relative to body position
+    glm::vec3 handPositionRelative;
+    memcpy(&handPositionRelative, sourceBuffer, sizeof(float) * 3);
+    _handPosition = _position + handPositionRelative;
     sourceBuffer += sizeof(float) * 3;
-
+    printf("handPositionRelative=%f,%f,%f\n",handPositionRelative.x, handPositionRelative.y, handPositionRelative.z);
+    printf("_handPosition=%f,%f,%f\n",_handPosition.x, _handPosition.y, _handPosition.z);
+    printf("_position=%f,%f,%f\n",_position.x, _position.y, _position.z);
+    
     // Lookat Position
     memcpy(&_headData->_lookAtPosition, sourceBuffer, sizeof(_headData->_lookAtPosition));
     sourceBuffer += sizeof(_headData->_lookAtPosition);
@@ -320,3 +333,89 @@ int unpackFloatFromByte(unsigned char* buffer, float& value, float scaleBy) {
     value = ((float)holder / (float) 255) * scaleBy;
     return sizeof(holder);
 }
+
+int packVec3ToBytes(unsigned char* buffer, const glm::vec3& vec, float min, float max, int bytes) {
+    const int ITEMS_IN_VEC3 = 3;
+    const int BITS_IN_BYTE  = 8;
+    const int BYTE_MASK     = 0xff;
+    assert(bytes < sizeof(double) * ITEMS_IN_VEC3);
+    unsigned char holder[bytes];
+    memset(&holder, 0, bytes);
+    
+    int bitsTotal          = bytes * BITS_IN_BYTE;
+    int bitsPerItem        = floor(bitsTotal / ITEMS_IN_VEC3);
+    long maxEncodedPerItem = powf(2, bitsPerItem) - 1; // must be a better way to get this
+    float scaleBy          = (max - min);
+    float conversionRatio  = (maxEncodedPerItem / scaleBy);
+
+printf("bitsTotal=%d\n", bitsTotal);    
+printf("bitsPerItem=%d\n", bitsPerItem);    
+printf("maxEncodedPerItem=%ld\n", maxEncodedPerItem);    
+printf("scaleBy=%f\n", scaleBy);    
+printf("conversionRatio=%f\n", conversionRatio);
+
+    int bitInByte = 0;
+    int byteInHolder = 0;
+    long encodedItem = 0;
+    int leftShiftThisByte = 0;
+    
+    for (int i = 0; i < ITEMS_IN_VEC3; i++) {
+    
+printf(">>> item=%d\n", i);
+printf("vec[item]=%f\n", vec[i]);
+
+        long encodedItemMask = maxEncodedPerItem;
+        encodedItem = floorf((vec[i] - min) * conversionRatio);
+        
+printf("encodedItem=%ld\n", encodedItem);
+printf("encodedItemMask=%ld\n", encodedItemMask);
+printf("leftShiftThisByte=%d\n", leftShiftThisByte);
+
+        for (int bitsInThisItem = 0; bitsInThisItem < bitsPerItem; ) {
+        
+printf(">>> bitsInThisItem=%d\n", bitsInThisItem);
+
+            unsigned char thisBytePortion = (encodedItemMask << leftShiftThisByte) & BYTE_MASK;
+            
+printf("thisBytePortion=%d\n", (int)thisBytePortion);
+
+            unsigned char thisByteValue = (encodedItem << leftShiftThisByte) & thisBytePortion;
+            
+printf("thisByteValue=%d\n", (int)thisByteValue);
+
+            holder[byteInHolder] |= thisByteValue;
+
+printf("after byte %d: ", byteInHolder);
+outputBufferBits((unsigned char*)&holder, bytes);
+
+
+///////not handling this correctly... second portion of second item is not moving to 3rd byte...
+
+            leftShiftThisByte = 0; // reset after first time;
+            int numberOfBitsInThisByte = numberOfOnes(thisBytePortion);
+            bitsInThisItem += numberOfBitsInThisByte;
+            if (numberOfBitsInThisByte == 8) {
+                byteInHolder++;
+                encodedItemMask = encodedItemMask >> numberOfBitsInThisByte;
+                encodedItem = encodedItem >> numberOfBitsInThisByte;
+            } else {
+                leftShiftThisByte = numberOfBitsInThisByte;
+            }
+printf("numberOfBitsInThisByte=%d\n", numberOfBitsInThisByte);
+printf("AFTER bitsInThisItem=%d\n", bitsInThisItem);
+printf("AFTER encodedItem=%ld\n", encodedItem);
+printf("AFTER encodedItemMask=%ld\n", encodedItemMask);
+        }
+    }
+
+    printf("done: ");
+    outputBufferBits((unsigned char*)&holder, bytes);
+
+    //memcpy(buffer, &holder, sizeof(holder));
+    return sizeof(holder);
+}
+
+int unpackVec3FromBytes(unsigned char* buffer, glm::vec3& vec, float min, float max, int bytes) {
+    unsigned char holder[bytes];
+    return sizeof(holder);
+}
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
index 04bc7e6ad5..b530fe285d 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
@@ -166,5 +166,8 @@ int unpackClipValueFromTwoByte(unsigned char* buffer, float& clipValue);
 int packFloatToByte(unsigned char* buffer, float value, float scaleBy);
 int unpackFloatFromByte(unsigned char* buffer, float& value, float scaleBy);
 
+int unpackVec3FromBytes(unsigned char* buffer, glm::vec3& vec, float min, float max, int bytes);
+int packVec3ToBytes(unsigned char* buffer, const glm::vec3& vec, float min, float max, int bytes);
+
 
 #endif /* defined(__hifi__AvatarData__) */