Stream entity material overrides and color changes

kit commented

2026-03-17 00:51:32 +00:00

Owner

Entities can have their render color and material overridden at runtime (e.g., Entity:SetColor(), Entity:SetMaterial(), Entity:SetSubMaterial()). These aren't currently streamed or rendered.

What needs to be streamed

Render color

RGBA color tint applied multiplicatively to the entity's materials
Entity:GetColor() returns Color(r, g, b, a)
Alpha < 255 means the entity is translucent
This is very common — many addons tint props

Material override

Entity:GetMaterial() — replaces all materials on the entity with a single material path
Entity:GetSubMaterial(index) — replaces a specific material slot
Used for effects like wireframe, glow, camo skins, etc.

Implementation

Server side

Add render color (RGBA, 4 bytes) to EntityState
Add material override string to entity data (could use a string table like models/classnames)
SubMaterial overrides are less common — could be a follow-up

Client side

Apply color tint to entity materials (multiply vertex color or uniform)
When material override is set, load and apply the replacement VMT/VTF
Handle alpha < 255 with transparent rendering

Relates to

#8 (VMT shader types — material overrides need proper shader support)

Entities can have their render color and material overridden at runtime (e.g., `Entity:SetColor()`, `Entity:SetMaterial()`, `Entity:SetSubMaterial()`). These aren't currently streamed or rendered. ## What needs to be streamed ### Render color - RGBA color tint applied multiplicatively to the entity's materials - `Entity:GetColor()` returns `Color(r, g, b, a)` - Alpha < 255 means the entity is translucent - This is very common — many addons tint props ### Material override - `Entity:GetMaterial()` — replaces all materials on the entity with a single material path - `Entity:GetSubMaterial(index)` — replaces a specific material slot - Used for effects like wireframe, glow, camo skins, etc. ## Implementation ### Server side - Add render color (RGBA, 4 bytes) to `EntityState` - Add material override string to entity data (could use a string table like models/classnames) - SubMaterial overrides are less common — could be a follow-up ### Client side - Apply color tint to entity materials (multiply vertex color or uniform) - When material override is set, load and apply the replacement VMT/VTF - Handle alpha < 255 with transparent rendering ## Relates to - #8 (VMT shader types — material overrides need proper shader support)

kit referenced this issue

2026-03-17 01:05:07 +00:00

Asset rendering: models, NPCs, players, weapons, ragdolls, animations, materials #5

kit referenced this issue

2026-03-17 01:05:08 +00:00

Implement Source engine VMT shader types #8

kit commented

2026-03-17 01:05:09 +00:00

Author

Owner

Related: #8 (VMT shader types). Entity-level material overrides depend on having a shader system that can accept per-entity parameters. #8 provides the base material pipeline, this issue adds the runtime override layer on top.

Also part of the broader asset rendering effort tracked in #5.

Related: #8 (VMT shader types). Entity-level material overrides depend on having a shader system that can accept per-entity parameters. #8 provides the base material pipeline, this issue adds the runtime override layer on top. Also part of the broader asset rendering effort tracked in #5.

kit referenced this issue from a commit

2026-03-19 13:24:23 +00:00

Add entity render color and material override streaming

kit referenced this issue from a pull request that will close it,

2026-03-19 13:25:02 +00:00

Add entity render color and material override streaming #39

kit closed this issue

2026-03-19 13:25:09 +00:00