MoLang

MoLang is a small expression language that Minecraft uses on Bedrock Edition for animations. Palladium uses it wherever a value has to be calculated while the game runs: a condition that checks if the player is on the ground, a number that rises with the player's speed, or an arm rotation that follows the head. You write a short formula as a string, and Palladium evaluates it every time it is needed.

query.is_on_ground && query.is_sprinting

Where MoLang Works

Place	What the expression does
Conditions	A plain string in any condition field is read as MoLang. The condition passes when the result is not 0.
Animation controller transitions	Same as conditions. Decides when the controller switches states.
Keyframes in player animations	Any number in an animation file can be an expression, like "-22.5 * !q.is_on_ground".
modify on values	Changes a number value. The original value is available as this.
overrides on the default render layer	Changes the position, rotation or scale of a model part. The current value is available as this.

The Basics

Queries read information from the game. They start with a namespace, then a dot, then the query name: query.health. The list below shows everything that is available.

Booleans are numbers. true is 1, false is 0. That is why -22.5 * !query.is_on_ground works: in the air !query.is_on_ground is 1 and the result is -22.5, on the ground it is 0 and the result is 0.

Operators work like in most languages: + - * /, comparisons with == != < > <= >=, logic with && || !, and parentheses. condition ? a : b picks one of two values.

Parentheses on queries are optional when the query takes no arguments. query.is_on_ground and query.is_on_ground() mean the same. Queries with arguments need them, with text in single quotes: palladium.get_animation_timer_eased('mypack:hero#transform').

Math functions live in the math namespace, for example math.abs, math.clamp, math.lerp, math.mod, math.sin and math.cos.

Namespaces

• query (short: q) holds the general queries that are known from Bedrock Edition: health, movement, rotations, time and so on.
• palladium holds Palladium's own queries for flight, web swinging, abilities and attack animations.
• math holds the math functions.

Inside the keyframes of player animations, the query namespace is provided by Player Animation Library instead of Palladium. It contains the same queries listed below plus two more: query.anim_time (seconds since the animation started) and query.controller_speed. The palladium namespace works there too.

Query Reference

query

​

Query	Returns	Description
query.actor_count	Number	Always 1. Exists for compatibility with Bedrock animations.
query.blocking	Boolean	Whether the entity is blocking with a shield.
query.body_x_rotation	Number	The entity's pitch in degrees.
query.body_y_rotation	Number	The body yaw in degrees. For entities without a separate body rotation this is the view yaw.
query.cardinal_facing	Number	The direction the entity faces as a number: 0 down, 1 up, 2 north, 3 south, 4 west, 5 east.
query.cardinal_facing_2d	Number	Like cardinal_facing, but up and down are reported as 6, so only the four horizontal directions remain.
query.cardinal_player_facing	Number	The direction the entity faces, using the same numbers as cardinal_facing.
query.day	Number	The number of in-game days that have passed, with the time of day as the fraction.
query.death_ticks	Number	Ticks since the entity died. 0 while alive.
query.distance_from_camera	Number	Always 0. Exists for compatibility with Bedrock animations.
query.equipment_count	Number	How many armor slots are filled.
query.frame_alpha	Number	The progress between the last and the next tick, from 0 to 1. Useful for smooth motion.
query.get_actor_info_id	Number	The entity's numeric ID in the current world.
query.ground_speed	Number	The horizontal speed in blocks per tick.
query.has_cape	Boolean	Whether the player has a cape that is visible.
query.has_collision	Boolean	Whether the entity collides with blocks.
query.has_gravity	Boolean	Whether the entity is affected by gravity.
query.has_head_gear	Boolean	Whether something is worn in the head slot.
query.has_owner	Boolean	Whether the entity is tamed or otherwise owned.
query.has_player_rider	Boolean	Whether a player is riding the entity.
query.has_rider	Boolean	Whether anything is riding the entity.
query.head_x_rotation	Number	The head pitch in degrees. Negative when looking up.
query.head_y_rotation	Number	The head yaw in degrees, in world space.
query.health	Number	The current health.
query.hurt_time	Number	Counts down from 10 after the entity took damage. 0 when not hurt.
query.invulnerable_ticks	Number	Remaining ticks of damage immunity after getting hurt.
query.is_alive	Boolean	Whether the entity is alive.
query.is_angry	Boolean	Whether a neutral mob, like a wolf or enderman, is angry.
query.is_baby	Boolean	Whether the entity is a baby.
query.is_breathing	Boolean	Whether the entity's air supply is full.
query.is_fire_immune	Boolean	Whether the entity type is immune to fire.
query.is_first_person	Boolean	Whether the entity is the local player viewed in first person.
query.is_in_contact_with_water	Boolean	Whether the entity is in water or standing in rain.
query.is_in_lava	Boolean	Whether the entity is in lava.
query.is_in_water	Boolean	Whether the entity is in water.
query.is_in_water_or_rain	Boolean	Whether the entity is in water or standing in rain.
query.is_invisible	Boolean	Whether the entity is invisible.
query.is_leashed	Boolean	Whether the entity is on a lead.
query.is_moving	Boolean	Whether the entity moved since the last tick.
query.is_on_fire	Boolean	Whether the entity is burning.
query.is_on_ground	Boolean	Whether the entity stands on the ground.
query.is_riding	Boolean	Whether the entity is riding something.
query.is_saddled	Boolean	Whether the entity wears a saddle.
query.is_silent	Boolean	Whether the entity is silent.
query.is_sleeping	Boolean	Whether the entity is sleeping in a bed.
query.is_sneaking	Boolean	Whether the entity is crouching.
query.is_sprinting	Boolean	Whether the entity is sprinting.
query.is_swimming	Boolean	Whether the entity is swimming.
query.is_using_item	Boolean	Whether the entity is using an item, like eating or drawing a bow.
query.is_wall_climbing	Boolean	Whether the entity is on a ladder, vine or another climbable block. For Palladium's wall climbing ability use palladium.is_wall_climbing.
query.life_time	Number	Always 0. Exists for compatibility with Bedrock animations.
query.limb_swing	Number	How far the legs have swung in the walking animation. Grows continuously while walking.
query.limb_swing_amount	Number	How strongly the walking animation plays, from 0 when standing still to about 1 when running.
query.main_hand_item_max_duration	Number	How many ticks the item in the main hand can be used for, like a bow's draw time.
query.main_hand_item_use_duration	Number	How long the item in the main hand has been used, in seconds. 0 when it is not being used.
query.max_health	Number	The maximum health.
query.moon_brightness	Number	The current brightness of the stars, from 0 during the day to 1 at night.
query.moon_phase	Number	The moon phase, from 0 (full moon) to 7.
query.movement_direction	Number	The direction the entity is moving in, using the same numbers as cardinal_facing. 6 when not moving.
query.player_level	Number	The player's experience level. 0 for other entities.
query.rider_body_x_rotation	Number	The pitch of the first rider in degrees. 0 without a rider.
query.rider_body_y_rotation	Number	The body yaw of the first rider in degrees. 0 without a rider.
query.rider_head_x_rotation	Number	The head pitch of the first rider in degrees. 0 without a rider.
query.rider_head_y_rotation	Number	The head yaw of the first rider in degrees. 0 without a rider.
query.scale	Number	The entity's scale, for example from the scale attribute. 1 by default.
query.sleep_rotation	Number	The yaw of the bed the entity sleeps in, in degrees. 0 when not sleeping.
query.time_of_day	Number	The time of day from 0 to 1. 0 is sunrise, 0.25 noon, 0.5 sunset and 0.75 midnight.
query.time_stamp	Number	The total game time in ticks.
query.vertical_speed	Number	The vertical speed in blocks per tick. Positive when moving up.
query.yaw_speed	Number	How far the yaw changed since the last tick, in degrees.

palladium

​

Query	Returns	Description
palladium.any_animation_finished	Boolean	Whether the animation of the current animation controller state has finished. Only works in animation controller transitions.
palladium.attack_body_yaw	Number	The body twist in degrees during the vanilla attack swing.
palladium.attack_on_left_arm	Boolean	Whether an attack swing is playing and the left arm is the main arm.
palladium.attack_on_right_arm	Boolean	Whether an attack swing is playing and the right arm is the main arm.
palladium.attack_swing_x	Number	The X rotation in degrees the attacking arm gets in the vanilla swing animation. Lets animations recreate the swing.
palladium.attack_swing_y	Number	The Y rotation in degrees the attacking arm gets in the vanilla swing animation.
palladium.attack_swing_z	Number	The Z rotation in degrees the attacking arm gets in the vanilla swing animation.
palladium.attack_time	Number	Progress of the current attack swing, from 0 to 1. 0 when not attacking.
palladium.cape_x_rotation	Number	The X rotation in degrees that the vanilla cape physics add on top of a cape bone. Subtract it in an animation to take full control of the cape.
palladium.flight_limb_pitch	Number	The pitch the arms and legs should follow during flight, in degrees.
palladium.flight_limb_roll	Number	The roll the arms and legs should follow during flight, in degrees.
palladium.flight_phase	Number	The phase of the active flight type. Default flight: 0 none, 1 hovering, 2 moving, 3 propelled, 4 descending, 5 landing. Swinging: 0 none, 1 launching, 2 swinging, 3 released, 4 diving, 5 landing.
palladium.flight_pitch	Number	The pitch of the current flight animation, in degrees. 0 when not flying.
palladium.flight_propulsion_scale	Number	How far the propelled (fast) flight pose is blended in, from 0 to 1.
palladium.flight_roll	Number	The roll of the current flight animation, in degrees. 0 when not flying.
palladium.flight_speed_forward	Number	Forward speed during flight relative to the flight speed, from -1 (backwards) to 1.
palladium.flight_speed_sideways	Number	Sideways speed during flight relative to the flight speed, from -1 to 1.
palladium.flight_yaw	Number	The yaw of the current flight animation, in degrees. 0 when not flying.
palladium.flight_yaw_delta	Number	How fast the flying entity is turning, smoothed. Useful to lean into curves.
palladium.get_animation_timer_eased(ability)	Number	The eased animation timer of an ability, from 0 to 1. 0 if the ability is not found. ability (String): Ability reference in the form "namespace:power#ability".
palladium.gliding_tick_count	Number	Ticks spent gliding with an elytra. 0 when not gliding.
palladium.grapple_distance	Number	The distance from the entity's shoulders to its grappling hook, in blocks. 0 without a hook.
palladium.grapple_pitch	Number	The pitch from the entity's shoulders to its grappling hook, in degrees. Positive when the hook is above. 0 without a hook.
palladium.grapple_state	Number	The state of the entity's active grappling hook: 0 none, 1 flying out, 2 pulling the entity towards a block, 3 reeling in a hooked entity.
palladium.grapple_yaw	Number	The yaw from the entity's body to its grappling hook, in degrees from -180 to 180. Positive when the hook is to the right. 0 without a hook.
palladium.head_x_rotation	Number	The head pitch in degrees. Negative when looking up.
palladium.head_y_rotation	Number	The head yaw relative to the body, in degrees from -180 to 180. Unlike query.head_y_rotation this is 0 when the player looks straight ahead, which is what a head bone in an animation needs.
palladium.horizontal_speed	Number	The horizontal distance the entity moved since the last tick, in blocks. Vertical movement is ignored.
palladium.is_wall_climbing	Boolean	Whether the player is climbing a wall with Palladium's wall climbing ability.
palladium.model_property(part, property)	Number	A value of a model part. Only works inside the overrides of a render layer, returns 0 everywhere else. part (String): Name of the model part, like "head" or "right_arm". property (String): One of x, y, z, x_rot, y_rot, z_rot (radians), x_rot_degrees, y_rot_degrees, z_rot_degrees, x_scale, y_scale, z_scale.
palladium.pos_x	Number	The entity's X position in the world, smoothed between ticks.
palladium.pos_y	Number	The entity's Y position in the world, smoothed between ticks.
palladium.pos_z	Number	The entity's Z position in the world, smoothed between ticks.
palladium.swinging_is_hanging	Boolean	Whether the player hangs still on a web line.
palladium.swinging_left_arm_pitch	Number	A physics based pitch for the left arm while swinging, in degrees. Points up at the anchor when the arm holds the line.
palladium.swinging_limb_vel	Number	How fast the swinging limbs are currently moving. Useful for secondary motion like legs trailing behind.
palladium.swinging_on_left_arm	Boolean	Whether the current web line is attached to the left arm.
palladium.swinging_on_right_arm	Boolean	Whether the current web line is attached to the right arm.
palladium.swinging_right_arm_pitch	Number	A physics based pitch for the right arm while swinging, in degrees. Points up at the anchor when the arm holds the line.
palladium.tick_count	Number	The entity's age in ticks, including the progress to the next tick for smooth motion.

Examples

Condition as a string

A power renderer that shows a render layer only while the player is sprinting on the ground:

assets/mypack/palladium/power_renderers/hero.json (excerpt)

"render_layers": {
  "mypack:speed_lines": "query.is_sprinting && query.is_on_ground"
}

Turning a value into frame numbers

modify on an integer value, cycling through 1, 2 and 3 once per second. Used as a dynamic texture variable, this switches between three texture files:

"FRAME": {
  "type": "palladium:entity_tick_count",
  "modify": "math.mod(this / 20, 3) + 1"
}

Animation controller transitions

Switching between idle, running and jumping based on movement:

assets/mypack/palladium/animation_controllers/hero_movement.json

{
  "initial_state": "idle",
  "states": {
    "idle": {
      "transitions": {
        "jumping": "!query.is_on_ground && query.vertical_speed > 0",
        "running": "query.is_sprinting && query.is_on_ground"
      }
    },
    "running": {
      "animation": "mypack:hero_run",
      "transitions": {
        "idle": "!query.is_sprinting || !query.is_on_ground"
      }
    },
    "jumping": {
      "animation": "mypack:hero_jump",
      "transitions": {
        "idle": "query.is_on_ground"
      }
    }
  }
}

Head that follows the camera in an animation

In a player animation, the head bone can keep following where the player looks while the rest of the body is animated. palladium.head_y_rotation is relative to the body, which is exactly what a bone rotation needs:

assets/mypack/player_animations/hero_run.json (excerpt)

"head": {
  "rotation": ["palladium.head_x_rotation - 17.5", "palladium.head_y_rotation", 0]
}

Leaning into turns while flying

A keyframe expression on the body that tilts the player sideways when they turn during flight. The value is clamped so it never goes past 30 degrees:

assets/mypack/player_animations/hero_flight.json (excerpt)

"body": {
  "rotation": [0, 0, "math.clamp(palladium.flight_yaw_delta * 2, -30, 30)"]
}