Garry's Mod Wiki

DModelPanel:SetEntity

  DModelPanel:SetEntity( Entity ent )

Description

Sets the entity to be rendered by the model panel.

If you set ent to a shared entity you must set ent to nil before removing this panel or else a "Trying to remove server entity on client!" error is thrown

Arguments

1 Entity ent
The new panel entity.

Example

Implementation of a function called StartBreencast which makes Dr. Breen recite his instinct speech within a model panel that's displayed to all clients. This mainly demonstrates how even shared entities such as NPCs can be used with DModelPanel as long as they're networked properly.

g_Breen = nil -- Breen NPC if(SERVER) then -- Broadcast propaganda to clients util.AddNetworkString("BreencastSentence") end -- Broadcast Breen to clients each time he starts a new sentence. function GM:EntityEmitSound(data) if(data.Entity == g_Breen) then local st, en = string.find(data.SoundName, "vo/") local sentence = "sound/"..string.sub(data.SoundName, st) -- Properly format sound name net.Start("BreencastSentence") net.WriteEntity(data.Entity) net.WriteString(sentence) net.Broadcast() end return nil end if(CLIENT) then -- Receive latest breencast sound byte and update screen function BreencastSentence() -- Client-side reference to Breen NPC g_Breen = net.ReadEntity() local soundname = net.ReadString() -- Play sound byte sound.PlayFile(soundname, "", function(sentence, errnum, err) if(err) then Error(err) else sentence:Play() StartBreencast() -- Update breencast monitor end end) end net.Receive("BreencastSentence", BreencastSentence) end -- Call this server-side to begin Breencast function StartBreencast() if(SERVER) then -- Remove existing Breen NPC if(g_Breen && IsValid(g_Breen)) then g_Breen:Remove() end -- Create new Breen NPC g_Breen = ents.Create("npc_breen") g_Breen:Spawn() -- Hide NPC everywhere except inside model panel g_Breen:SetSaveValue("m_takedamage", 0) g_Breen:SetMoveType(MOVETYPE_NONE) g_Breen:SetSolid(SOLID_NONE) g_Breen:SetRenderMode(RENDERMODE_TRANSALPHA) g_Breen:SetColor(Color(255, 255, 255, 0)) -- Play propaganda g_Breen:PlayScene("scenes/breencast/instinct_tv.vcd") g_Breen:SetEyeTarget(Vector(100, 0, 60)) elseif(CLIENT) then -- Remove existing panel and clear model entity to prevent error if(BGPanel) then if(BGPanel:GetChild(0)) then BGPanel:GetChild(0):SetEntity(nil) end BGPanel:Remove() BGPanel = nil end -- Don't continue if Breen is undefined if(!g_Breen or !IsValid(g_Breen)) then return end -- Black background panel BGPanel = vgui.Create("DPanel") BGPanel:SetPos(20, 20) BGPanel:SetSize(200, 200) BGPanel:SetBackgroundColor(Color(0, 0, 0, 255)) -- Model panel local mdl = vgui.Create("DModelPanel", BGPanel) mdl:SetSize(BGPanel:GetSize()) mdl:SetFOV(40) -- Default FOV is too jarring mdl:SetEntity(g_Breen) -- Add Breen NPC to model panel -- Focus camera on Breen's head function mdl:LayoutEntity(ent) -- If Breen has been removed somehow then remove screen if(!IsValid(ent)) then if(mdl:GetParent()) then mdl:GetParent():Remove() end return end local eyepos = ent:GetBonePosition(ent:LookupBone("ValveBiped.Bip01_Head1")) mdl:SetLookAt(eyepos) mdl:SetCamPos(eyepos+Vector(35, 0, -4)) return end end end
Output: "I find it helpful at times like these to remind myself that our true enemy is: Instinct."