is it possible in blender to lock relative positions of bones for a number of frames and during these frames animated the armature as a static object? For example, beginning of animation move around individual bones using bone constraints etc, to get to a specific pose, and then once in that pose, have the character freeze that pose and then move/rotate the 'frozen' character around without the armature deforming (thus altering the pose?) This would be extremely helpful if possible.
Another way to ask this question, getting more to the purpose of the question: can you rotate an animated armature independently of its constraints? This would allow the constraints to function for the purpose of correctly animating the model's individual parts, but simultaneously rotate the model as if the animation of its parts was a separate entity from the model's rotation as a whole. As if the model's animation was set in stone so you had this animation and now you want to rotate the animation while its playing.
I already tried parenting the armature object to another object and rotating the parent while the armature's animation is playing - however, this altered the poses greatly.