Performers
The Performers sub-system defines the character entity types in GS_Performer. Each type encapsulates a complete rendering strategy — from the lightweight billboard paper performer to the full 3D avatar pipeline integrating EMotionFX, skin slots, and locomotion.
The performer type determines the fundamental visual structure of the character entity. Performer Features then layer onto it, independent of type.
For usage guides and setup examples, see The Basics: Performers.
Contents
Core Pattern
Each performer type is a self-contained entity configuration. The Paper Performer requires only sprite geometry and a facing handler component. The Avatar Performer drives an EMotionFX actor and composes with skin slots and the locomotion hook. Both types participate in Performer Manager registration and support the full Performer Features set.
Paper Performer
Billboard-based character rendering for 2.5D and top-down games. The facing handler orients the sprite quad toward the active camera or a configurable target each tick. The base component allows custom facing strategies through extension.
| Component | Purpose | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| PaperFacingHandlerBaseComponent | Abstract base for billboard facing logic. Extend to implement custom facing strategies. | Paper Performer |
| PaperFacingHandlerComponent | Concrete implementation. Orients the entity quad toward the active camera each tick. | Paper Performer |
Avatar Performer
The full 3D character pipeline. Drives a rigged EMotionFX actor with support for skin slot equipment, velocity locomotion parameter binding, and animation asset hot-reloading during development.
| Component | Purpose | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| VelocityLocomotionHookComponent | Reads entity velocity each tick and writes speed and direction blend parameters to the EMotionFX animation graph. | Avatar Performer |
| PrefabAnimAssetsReloaderComponent | Hot-reloads prefab animation assets without a level restart. Development utility. | Avatar Performer |
Extension Guide
Custom paper facing strategies are supported by extending PaperFacingHandlerBaseComponent. Override the tick method to compute any desired facing rotation and apply it to the entity transform each frame. See Paper Performer API for the full extension walkthrough.
See Also
For conceptual overviews and usage guides:
For related component references:
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