How to make a serverside entity emit light?

Garry's Mod coding
#1

I am working on a custom entity and i need it to emit light around it, i’m using this code but i just found out that DynamicLight has to be ran clientside?


	-- light effect start
		-- light effect sample code start
	local dlight = DynamicLight( self )
	if ( dlight ) then
		dlight.pos = self.pos()
		dlight.r = 255
		dlight.g = 255
		dlight.b = 255
		dlight.brightness = 2
		dlight.Decay = 1000
		dlight.Size = 256
		dlight.DieTime = CurTime() + 1
	end
		--light effect sample code end
	-- light effect end

How do i run this code client side for the serverside entity?

#2

Use net messages

#3

Do i definitely have to use them?

I’m trying to use this at the moment:


include( "shared.lua" )

function ENT:Initialize()
	if !self:IsValid() then return end
	-- light code start
	if ( CLIENT ) then
		local dlight = DynamicLight( ent:EntIndex() )
		if ( dlight ) then
			dlight.pos = ent.pos()
			dlight.r = 200
			dlight.g = 200
			dlight.b = 255
			dlight.brightness = 2
			dlight.Decay = 1000
			dlight.Size = 256
			dlight.DieTime = CurTime() + 1
		end
	end
	-- light code end
end

Would this work?

could you give me an example for net messages with this?

#4

If you’re just doing it on initialize then you shouldn’t have to use net messages. Just declare ENT:Initialize within the shared file, as the init file is never called client side.

#5

i’ve worked it out using net messaged, i have a massive issue though.


		local dlight = DynamicLight( ent:EntIndex() )
		if ( dlight ) then
			dlight.pos = pos
			dlight.r = 200
			dlight.g = 200
			dlight.b = 255
			dlight.brightness = 2
			dlight.Decay = 0
			dlight.Size = 256
			dlight.DieTime = CurTime() + 1000
			
		end

how the hell do i parent it to the entity?

#6

Fear not, for there is a serverside light entity you can use!

[lua]
local light = ents.Create(“light_dynamic”)
light:Spawn()
light:Activate()

light:SetKeyValue(“distance”, 400) – ‘distance’ is equivalent to the radius of your light
light:SetKeyValue(“brightness”, 2)
light:SetKeyValue("_light", “255 0 0 255”) – ‘_light’ is the color of your light. This currently makes it red
light:Fire(“TurnOn”)
[/lua]

#7

thank you so much lol, is there a way to parent it to an entity?

[editline]21st May 2016[/editline]

oh its an ent so i can parent it thank you so much i will test this now.

[editline]21st May 2016[/editline]


function ENT:Initialize()

local light = ents.Create("light_dynamic")
light:Spawn()
light:Activate()
light:SetPos( self.GetPos() )
light:SetKeyValue("distance", 400) -- 'distance' is equivalent to the radius of your light
light:SetKeyValue("brightness", 2)
light:SetKeyValue("_light", "255 0 0 255") -- '_light' is the color of your light. This currently makes it red
light:Fire("TurnOn")
light:SetParent(ent, 1)

For some reason SetPos is not working? using self.getpos or ent.getpos is not working? its an error

[editline]22nd May 2016[/editline]

got it working just trying to parent it.

[editline]22nd May 2016[/editline]

Thanks for the help guys i got it working.


	local tespos = self:GetPos()
	local light = ents.Create("light_dynamic")
	light:Spawn()
	light:Activate()
	light:SetPos( tespos )
	light:SetKeyValue("distance", 400) -- 'distance' is equivalent to the radius of your light
	light:SetKeyValue("brightness", 2)
	light:SetKeyValue("_light", "255 0 0 255") -- '_light' is the color of your light. This currently makes it red
	light:Fire("TurnOn")
	light:SetParent( self )