Scripting

Making your projects interactive

Scripts are re-usable pieces of code that interactivity to your project. Conceptually they're attached to an entity and define a specific behavior or operation.

Scripts can be created using ES Modules or using the older classic scripts.

For example, this Rotate script rotates an entity by 10° every second.

ESM

import { Script } from 'playcanvas';

export class Rotate extends Script {
    update(dt) {
        this.entity.rotate(0, 10 * dt, 0);
    }
}

Classic

var Rotate = pc.createScript('Rotate');

Rotate.prototype.update = function(dt) {
    this.entity.rotate(0, 10 * dt, 0);
}

In the example above, the update() method is called every frame. This is one of the life-cycle methods a script can define. It allows your script to hook into various changes in your application.

tip

A Script is a re-usable piece of logic attached to an Entity within a scene.

Scripts can be attached to multiple entities within a scene. They simply define a set of behavior without necessarily specifying the entities it should apply to. This separation allows you to create re-usable behaviors across your project.

Find out how to create a new script and attach it to an entity.