Beams

A beam is a visual line drawn from a point on the player's body to a target somewhere in the world. Energy beams shot from the hands, a laser from the forehead, the rope of a grappling hook or the web line of a web swinger all use the same system. A beam file only describes how the line looks and where on the body it starts. What it points at and how long it stays is decided by whatever uses it, for example the energy beam ability.

Beam files are client-side assets:

assets/<namespace>/palladium/beams/<filename>.json

The file assets/mypack/palladium/beams/hand_laser.json is referenced as mypack:hand_laser.

Creating a Beam

The smallest useful beam needs a body part to start from and a renderer:

assets/mypack/palladium/beams/hand_laser.json

{
  "body_part": "right_arm",
  "offset": [0, -11, 0],
  "renderer": {
    "type": "palladium:laser",
    "render_settings": {
      "glow": "#ff0000"
    }
  }
}

A file can also hold a list of beams. All of them are drawn together towards the same target, which is how you get a beam from each hand out of a single file:

assets/mypack/palladium/beams/hand_lasers.json

[
  {
    "body_part": "right_arm",
    "offset": [0, -11, 0],
    "renderer": { "type": "palladium:laser", "render_settings": { "glow": "#ff0000" } }
  },
  {
    "body_part": "left_arm",
    "offset": [0, -11, 0],
    "renderer": { "type": "palladium:laser", "render_settings": { "glow": "#ff0000" } }
  }
]

Settings

body_part (required) is the model part the beam starts from. The beam follows the part, so a beam from an arm moves with the arm animation. The names for the player model are "head", "body", "right_arm", "left_arm", "right_leg" and "left_leg"; parts of render layers or power renderer models can be reached with a dotted path like "body.cannon".

offset (optional, default: [0, 0, 0]) moves the start point away from the part's pivot, in voxels (1 voxel = 1/16 of a block). The offset is applied in the part's local space, so it rotates with the part. Arms pivot at the shoulder, so [0, -11, 0] moves the start down to the hand. Accepts a perspective value.

visibility (optional, default: always visible) is a condition that has to pass for the beam to be drawn. The condition is tested against the entity the beam belongs to. Accepts a perspective value, which is handy to hide a beam only in first person.

renderer (required) decides what the beam looks like. See Beam Renderers.

particles (optional) spawns particles at the point where the beam hits something. Can be a single entry or a list. See Impact Particles.

Perspective Values

offset and visibility can be given once for every view, or separately for first and third person. The first person value is used for your own beams while you are in first person, everything else uses the third person value.

"offset": [0, -11, 0]

"offset": {
  "first_person": [0, -8, -2],
  "third_person": [0, -11, 0]
}

This matters because the first person arms sit in a different place than the third person model. If a beam looks right on other players but starts next to your own hand, give the first person offset its own value.

Impact Particles

Each entry in particles spawns particles at the end of the beam, for example sparks where a laser hits a wall. Which uses spawn them is up to the feature; the energy beam ability does it while the beam is active.

"particles": [
  {
    "particle_type": "minecraft:flame",
    "emitter": {
      "amount": 3,
      "motion_random": [2, 2, 2]
    }
  }
]

particle_type (required) is the registry ID of the particle, vanilla or one of your own particles.

options (optional) holds extra data for particle types that need it, written as NBT. minecraft:dust for example needs {"color": [1.0, 0.0, 0.0], "scale": 1.0}.

emitter (optional) controls how many particles appear and how they move. amount is the number per spawn (values below 1 are treated as a chance, 0.25 spawns one particle in a quarter of all cases). offset and offset_random shift and scatter the spawn position, motion and motion_random set the base velocity and a random spread on top, all in voxels. conditions can limit spawning further.

Using Beams

Beams are referenced by their identifier (namespace:filename):

• beam_renderer of the palladium:beam ability, the continuous energy beam. See Abilities.
• beam_renderer of the palladium:blast ability, a short burst that travels along the line.
• beam_renderer of the palladium:grapple ability, where the beam is the rope.
• beam_renderer of a swinging flight type (data/<namespace>/palladium/flight_type/), where the beam is the web line. This one takes either one ID or {"right_arm": "...", "left_arm": "..."} so each arm can have its own file. The flight type is then used by the palladium:flight ability.

Palladium ships two beams for the web swinger: palladium:swinging/web_right and palladium:swinging/web_left. Both use the flat textured renderer with palladium:textures/beam/web.png and are a good starting point for your own rope or web.

Beam Renderers

The renderer object selects how the line is drawn with its type field.

Flat Textured

ID: palladium:flat_textured

Renders a beam between two points as a flat texture that always faces the camera. The texture is repeated along the beam and never stretched; the last repetition is cut off if the remaining length is shorter than one tile.

Settings

Key	Type	Description	Required	Fallback
texture	Texture Reference	The texture to use for the beam.		/
texture_size	Float	The size of one texture tile: width of the beam and length of one repetition along it.		1
render_type	minecraft:entity_translucent minecraft:entity_cutout palladium:glow	The render type to render the beam with.		minecraft:entity_translucent
light_emission	Integer	The light emission of the beam. Must be within 0 - 15		0

Example

{
  "type": "palladium:flat_textured",
  "texture": "namespace:textures/beams/example_beam.png",
  "texture_size": 2
}

---

Laser

ID: palladium:laser

Renders a laser beam between two points.

Settings

Key	Type	Description	Required	Fallback
render_settings	Laser Renderer Settings	The render settings for the laser.		/

Example

{
  "type": "palladium:laser",
  "render_settings": {
    "glow": "#0000ff",
    "size": 2
  }
}

---

Lightning Beam

ID: palladium:lightning

Renders a fluctuating lightning between two points.

Settings

Key	Type	Description	Required	Fallback
render_settings	Laser Renderer Settings	The render settings for the lightning.		/
segments	Integer	The amount of segments the lightning should have.		5
frequency	Integer	The frequency of the lightning fluctuation.		2
spread	Float	The spread of the lightning fluctuation. It defines how "far" the lightning can spread out from the core		5

Example

{
  "type": "palladium:lightning",
  "render_settings": {
    "glow": "#0000ff",
    "bloom": 2,
    "size": 2
  },
  "segments": 10,
  "frequency": 4,
  "spread": 112
}

---

Textured

ID: palladium:textured

Renders a beam between two points using a custom texture.

Settings

Key	Type	Description	Required	Fallback
texture	Texture Reference	The texture to use for the beam.		/
size	Float	The size/diameter of the beam.		1
rotation	Float	The initial rotation of the beam in degrees.		0
rotation_speed	Float	The rotation speed of the beam.		0
render_type	minecraft:entity_translucent minecraft:entity_cutout palladium:glow	The render type to render the beam with.		minecraft:entity_translucent
light_emission	Integer	The light emission of the beam. Must be within 0 - 15		0

Example

{
  "type": "palladium:textured",
  "texture": "namespace:textures/beams/example_beam.png",
  "size": 2,
  "rotation": 45,
  "rotation_speed": 20
}

---

Laser Render Settings

The render_settings object of the laser and lightning renderers is the same laser renderer used by lightning trails. It has an inner core and an outer glow, each with color, opacity, rainbow cycling and pulsing, plus bloom, size, rotation and rotation_speed. For beams the laser is a real 3D tube, so size can be [width, height] and the rotation settings spin it around its own axis. All fields are described on the trails page.

Examples

Red hand laser

One laser from the right hand with a slightly stronger glow, used by an energy beam ability:

assets/mypack/palladium/beams/red_laser.json

{
  "body_part": "right_arm",
  "offset": [0, -11, 0],
  "renderer": {
    "type": "palladium:laser",
    "render_settings": {
      "core": "#ffffff",
      "glow": "#ff2200",
      "bloom": 2,
      "size": 2
    }
  }
}

data/mypack/palladium/power/laser_hands.json (excerpt)

"abilities": {
  "laser": {
    "type": "palladium:beam",
    "beam_renderer": "mypack:red_laser",
    "damage": 4,
    "state": {
      "enabling": {
        "type": "palladium:key_bind",
        "behaviour": "held"
      }
    }
  }
}

Forehead laser with impact particles

Starts above the eyes, cycles through colors, spins and throws flames where it hits:

assets/mypack/palladium/beams/forehead_laser.json

{
  "body_part": "head",
  "offset": [0, 6, 0],
  "renderer": {
    "type": "palladium:laser",
    "render_settings": {
      "glow": {
        "rainbow": 0.1,
        "pulse": { "scale": 0.25, "frequency": 3.0 }
      },
      "rotation_speed": 10
    }
  },
  "particles": {
    "particle_type": "minecraft:flame",
    "emitter": {
      "amount": 2,
      "motion": [0, 1, 0],
      "motion_random": [1, 0, 1]
    }
  }
}

Lightning from both hands, tuned per perspective

Two different lightning looks, one per hand. The first person offsets are adjusted so the bolts come out of the visible arms, and the left bolt is hidden in first person because the left arm is not drawn there while holding an item:

assets/mypack/palladium/beams/hand_lightning.json

[
  {
    "body_part": "right_arm",
    "offset": {
      "first_person": [0, -8, -2],
      "third_person": [0, -11, 0]
    },
    "renderer": {
      "type": "palladium:lightning",
      "segments": 25,
      "spread": 2,
      "frequency": 200,
      "render_settings": {
        "glow": "#652191"
      }
    }
  },
  {
    "body_part": "left_arm",
    "offset": [0, -11, 0],
    "visibility": {
      "first_person": false,
      "third_person": true
    },
    "renderer": {
      "type": "palladium:lightning",
      "segments": 10,
      "spread": 5,
      "frequency": 2,
      "render_settings": {
        "core": {
          "opacity": 0.25,
          "pulse": { "scale": 0.1, "frequency": 1.0 }
        },
        "glow": {
          "color": "#652191",
          "pulse": { "scale": 0.25, "frequency": 2.0 }
        }
      }
    }
  }
]

Custom web line for swinging

A repeating texture that keeps its proportions on long lines, with separate files for both arms so each starts at the right hand:

assets/mypack/palladium/beams/web_right.json

{
  "body_part": "right_arm",
  "offset": [0, 10, 0],
  "renderer": {
    "type": "palladium:flat_textured",
    "texture": "mypack:textures/beam/web.png",
    "texture_size": 4,
    "render_type": "minecraft:entity_cutout"
  }
}

Flight types are datapack files of their own. This one uses the two beams and is then referenced by the flight ability:

data/mypack/palladium/flight_type/web.json

{
  "type": "palladium:swinging",
  "max_anchor_height": 120,
  "max_anchor_height_type": "absolute",
  "radius": [10, 30],
  "beam_renderer": {
    "right_arm": "mypack:web_right",
    "left_arm": "mypack:web_left"
  }
}

data/mypack/palladium/power/web_swinging.json (excerpt)

"abilities": {
  "swing": {
    "type": "palladium:flight",
    "flight_type": "mypack:web"
  }
}