Spawn a ped

Spawning a ped (also called character or actor) is not as simple as inserting one line. There are steps that need to be taken in order to successfully spawn a ped. This tutorial will show you the basic steps of spawning a ped using a format used in Sanny Builder. These examples are for San Andreas but with minor tweaks can be used for GTA III and Vice City.

Create your thread

First, create a thread. Here is an example:

004F: create_thread @LoadModel :LoadModel // add code from tutorial here 004E: end_thread

or

create_thread @LoadModel :LoadModel // add code from tutorial here end_thread

Request your model

It is very important to request the model of your ped. You can find a list of all peds available to use in the default.ide file for GTA III and Vice City or the peds.ide file for San Andreas. Use opcode 0247 or the command Model.Load to request your ped model. The script normally uses the ped's ID number but Sanny Builder support using the ped's model name with a hash character. Let's try the first ped in the list, BFORI.

0247: load_model #BFORI

or

Model.Load #BFORI

There are some ped-spawning opcodes that do not need the ped's model to be loaded. See below for more information.

Check if the model is loaded

Next, you have to check if the model is loaded using an IF statement with the conditional opcode 0248 or the command Model.Available. If your create a ped with an unavailable model, the game will crash.

repeat wait 0 ms if 0248: model #BFORI available then break end until false

or

repeat wait 0 if Model.Available(#BFORI) then break end until false

Alternatively, this check can be bypassed entirely if opcode 038B is used after the models are requested, but the simplicity in coding requires trading off some hiccups to the game as the models are streamed.

Below you can find the code that the game uses to check if a model is loaded.

while 8248:   not model #BFORI available
    wait 0
end

Create your ped

Now you can use the main opcode to create a ped: 009A, or the command Actor.Create. The opcode includes the ped's pedtype and the coordinate to spawn the ped. Sanny Builder has a built-in coordinates tool. Go to Tools>IDE Tools>Coords manager... or use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+1 while the game is running. This will show the current position of your player character.

009A: 0@ = create_actor_pedtype 4 model #BFORI at 0.0 0.0 0.0

or

Actor.Create(0@, 4, #BFORI, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

Other opcodes

There are other opcodes that also spawn a ped in different situations, including:

0129: Creates a ped as a driver in a vehicle.      CREATE_CHAR_INSIDE_CAR Description Spawns a character in the driver seat of the vehicle Syntax 0129: [var] = create_actor_pedtype [int1] model [int2] in_car [car handle] driverseat Parameter [car handle] The handle of the vehicle [int1] Ped type [int2] Valid model index as defined in the PEDS section of the IDE file; also acceptable is model's DFF name with a hash character [var] Variable to store the handle of the character Native analog CREATE_CHAR_INSIDE_CAR This opcode spawns a character in the driver seat of a vehicle. Using this opcode requires an existing vehicle and opcode 0247 to load the character model or else the game could crash. Example See also: Spawn a ped The following example, using Sanny Builder, will spawn a ped in a car close to the player character. const CHAR_MODEL = #BFORI // set your character model CAR_MODEL = #PONY // set your vehicle model CHAR_HANDLE = 0@ CAR_HANDLE = 1@ X_POS = 2@ Y_POS = 3@ Z_POS = 4@ end 0247: request_model CHAR_MODEL 0247: request_model CAR_MODEL 038B: load_requested_models 00A0: store_actor $PLAYER_ACTOR position_to X_POS Y_POS Z_POS X_POS += 4.0 00A5: CAR_HANDLE = create_car CAR_MODEL at X_POS Y_POS Z_POS 0129: CHAR_HANDLE = create_actor_pedtype 4 model CHAR_MODEL in_car CAR_HANDLE driverseat 0249: release_model CHAR_MODEL 0249: release_model CAR_MODEL 01C2: mark_actor_as_no_longer_needed CHAR_HANDLE 01C3: mark_car_as_no_longer_needed CAR_HANDLE Keywords create, spawn, actor, ped, pedestrian, character, pedtype, model, inside, vehicle, car, driver

01C8: Creates a ped as a passenger in a vehicle.      CREATE_CHAR_AS_PASSENGER Description Creates a character in the passenger seat of the vehicle Syntax 01C8: [var] = create_actor_pedtype [int1] model [int2] in_car [car handle] passenger_seat [int3] Parameter [car handle] The handle of the vehicle [int1] Ped type [int2] Valid model index as defined in the PEDS section of the IDE file; also acceptable is model's DFF name with a hash character [int3] Seat position [var] Variable to store the handle of the character Native analog CREATE_CHAR_AS_PASSENGER Similar to opcode 009A, this opcode creates a character in the passenger seat of a vehicle. Using this opcode requires an existing vehicle and opcode 0247 to load the model of the character or else the game could crash. Characters can even be created in wrecked vehicles as long as the vehicle exists. Without further additions, if the player enters the vehicle with the character, the character will exit the vehicle. Additional opcodes like 0526 are needed to prevent them from doing that. If you create a character in a non-existent seat, the character will still be created inside the vehicle but it will be invisible. Certain actions that would normally make the character voluntarily exit the vehicle won't work but opcodes can force the character to exit the vehicle. Seat position Seat Four-seat Two-seat 0 front right seat rear seat 1 rear left seat 2 rear right seat Keywords create, actor, character, pedtype, model, vehicle, car, passenger

There are opcodes that can spawn a random ped without the need to request the model of the ped.

0376: Creates a random ped.

0560: Creates a random ped as a driver in a vehicle.

0561: Creates a random ped as a passenger in a vehicle.

Pedtype limitation

Some pedtypes are limited to be compatible to specific models or else the game may crash.

• Pedtype 6 can only be used with models between 0 and 4 (#null, #cop, #swat, #fbi, #army).
• Pedtype 16 can only be used with model 5 (#medic).
• Pedtype 17 can only be used with model 6 (#fireman).

Release your model

After the ped is created and the model is no longer needed, release it using opcode 0249 or the command Model.Destroy

0249: release_model #BFORI

or

Model.Destroy(#BFORI)

Set your ped

You can now add settings and attributes to your ped, like rotating your ped or adding animations to your ped. The variable 0@ is the handle of your ped, like an identifier. Use this variable when using opcodes specific to your ped. You can search these opcodes by using Sanny Builder's Opcode Search Tool. Go to Tools>IDE Tools>Opcode Search... or use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+2. Then type actor in the search box to find a list of named opcodes related to it.

Full example

// load model, required to prevent unnecessary crash!
0247: request_model #BFORI
// check if model is loaded
repeat
    wait 0
    if
        0248:   model #BFORI available
    then
        break
    end
until false
// spawn character
009A: 0@ = create_actor 4 #BFORI at 0.0 0.0 0.0
// cleanup
0249: release_model #BFORI

External links

• Screenshots of all ped models in GTA III
• Screenshots of all ped models in Vice City