Brush entity
A Brush Entity is an entity type in the GoldSrc and Source engines, created by tying an entity to a BSP geometry brush in the map, giving the brush a specific effect or ability defined by the entity tied to it. (The default shortcut is Ctrl + T after selecting a brush)
Purpose and Uses
Brush entities are used for entities that require an area or trigger zone to be touched, hit, or used in order to perform a specific task. Another use of brush entities is to create a physical object that can move, such as an elevator, or a door (can be made by many brushes selected together and tied as a whole to a brush entity, forming a brush model). A great example of a brush entity that implements both of these designs is a func_button
, which requires a brush to specify the area the player must press, touch, or shoot to activate the button; the button can be made using any shape of brush, or even a group of brushes, and can be textured to give the appearance of a real button. Brush entities such as the func_button have special features that affect the physical brush they're tied to, such as moving the brush in a general direction when activited, giving the effect of the button being pushed in and then popping back out. Another example of a brush entity is a trigger_multiple
which can fire some outputs once the player walks into its area of effect (the volume of which is defined by the volume of the original brush used to make the trigger).
Keyvalues
Base:
- Parent
(parentname)
<targetname> - Maintain the same initial offset to this entity. An attachment point can also be used if separated by a comma at the end. (
parentname [targetname],[attachment]
)Tip:Entities transition to the next map with their parentsTip:phys_constraint
can be used as a workaround if parenting fails.
- Origin (X Y Z)
(origin)
<coordinates> - The position of this entity's center in the world. Rotating entities typically rotate around their origin.Note:Hammer does not move the entities accordingly only in the editor.
- Pitch Yaw Roll (X Y Z)
(angles)
<angle> - This entity's orientation in the world. Pitch is rotation around the Y axis, yaw is the rotation around the Z axis, roll is the rotation around the X axis.Note:This works on brush entities, although Hammer doesn't show the new angles.
- Classname
(classname)
<string> !FGD - Determines the characteristics of the entity before it spawns. Tip:Changing this on runtime still has use, like making matching an entry in S_PreserveEnts will persist the entity on new rounds!
- Spawnflags
(spawnflags)
<flags> !FGD - Toggles exclusive features of an entity, its specific number is determined by the combination of flags added.
- Effects
(effects)
<flags> !FGD - Combination of effect flags to use.
- Entity Scripts
(vscripts)
<scriptlist> (in all games since ) (also in ) - Space delimited list of VScript files (without file extension) that are executed after all entities have spawned. The scripts are all executed in the same script scope, later ones overwriting any identical variables and functions. Scripts executed on the worldspawn entity will be placed in root scope.
- Think function
(thinkfunction)
<string> (in all games since ) (also in ) - Name of the function within this entity's script that'll be called automatically every 100 milliseconds, or a user-defined interval if the function returns a number. Avoid expensive operations in this function, as it may cause performance problems.
- Lag Compensation
(LagCompensate)
<boolean> (in all games since ) !FGD - Set to Yes to lag compensate this entity. Should be used very sparingly!
- Is Automatic-Aim Target
(is_autoaim_target)
<boolean> (in all games since ) !FGD - If set to 1, this entity will slow down aiming movement for consoles and joystick controllers when the entity is under the crosshairs.
Inputs
Base:
AddContext
<string>- Adds to the entity's list of response contexts. See Context.
AddOutput
<string>- Assigns a new keyvalue/output on this entity. For keyvalues, some rely on extra necessary code to be ran and won't work if its simply just changed through this input. There is a strict format that must be followed:
// Format of changing KeyValues: "AddOutput [key] [value]"
//// Raw text:
"OnUser1" "!self,AddOutput,targetname new_name"
// Format of adding an Output: "AddOutput {targetname}:{inputname}:{parameter}:{delay}:{max times to fire, -1 means infinite}"
//// Raw text:
"OnUser1" "!self,AddOutput,OnUser1:SetParent:!activator:0.0:-1"
// Arguments can be left blank, but the empty blank should still be contained.
//// Raw text:
"OnUser1" "!self,AddOutput,OnUser1:ClearParent::0.0:-1"
|
ClearContext
- Removes all contexts from this entity's list.
ClearParent
- Removes this entity from the the movement hierarchy, leaving it free to move independently.
FireUser1
toFireUser4
- Fires the respective
OnUser
outputs; see User Inputs and Outputs.
Kill
- Removes this entity and any entities parented to it from the world.
KillHierarchy
- Functions the same as
Kill
, although this entity and any entities parented to it are killed on the same frame, being marginally faster thanKill
input.
RemoveContext
<string>- Remove a context from this entity's list. The name should match the key of an existing context.
SetParent
<string>- Move with this entity. See Entity Hierarchy (parenting).
SetParentAttachment
<string>- Change this entity to attach to a specific attachment point on its parent. The entity will teleport so that the position of its root bone matches that of the attachment. Entities must be parented before being sent this input.
SetParentAttachmentMaintainOffset
<string>- As above, but without teleporting. The entity retains its position relative to the attachment at the time of the input being received.
DispatchResponse
<string> !FGD- Dispatches a response to the entity. See Response and Concept.
DispatchEffect
<string> (removed since ) !FGD- Dispatches a special effect from the entity's origin; See also List of Client Effects. Replaced by the particle system since .
RunScriptFile
<script> (in all games since ) (also in )- Execute a VScript file from disk, without file extension. The script contents are merged with the script scope of the receiving entity.
RunScriptCode
<string> (in all games since ) (also in )- Execute a string of VScript source code in the scope of the entity receiving the input. String quotation may be needed when fired via console. Bug:In Hammer, using string arguments will corrupt the VMF file's structure, making the file unviewable for the next Hammer session.Fix:Remove the string argument manually with a text editor.
CallScriptFunction
<string> (in all games since ) (also in ) !FGD- Calls a VScript function defined in the scope of the receiving entity.
TerminateScriptScope
(only in ) !FGD- Destroys the script scope of the receving entity.
SetLocalOrigin
<coordinates> (in all games since ) !FGD- Send this entity to a spot in the map. If the entity is parented to something, it will be offset from the parent by this amount.
Outputs
Base:
OnUser1
toOnUser4
- These outputs each fire in response to the firing of the like-numbered
FireUser1
toFireUser4
Input; see User Inputs and Outputs.