Lighttweener

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-03

Overview

LightTweener provides linear interpolation (tweening) for dynamic lighting effects. It modifies the visual properties of a light component attached to the same entity over a specified duration. This component is used to create smooth transitions between lighting states—such as dimming, brightening, or shifting colour—commonly seen in ambient effects, ambient alerts, or event-driven environmental changes.

Usage example

local inst = CreateEntity()
inst:AddComponent("lighttweener")

local light = inst:AddChild()
light:AddComponent("light")
light:GetComponent("light"):SetRadius(3)
light:GetComponent("light"):SetIntensity(0.5)
light:GetComponent("light"):SetFalloff(1.0)
light:GetComponent("light"):SetColour(1, 1, 1)

inst.components.lighttweener:StartTween(
    light,           -- light to tween
    5,               -- target radius
    1.0,             -- target intensity
    0.5,             -- target falloff
    {0.8, 0.2, 0.2}, -- target colour (red-ish)
    2.0,             -- duration in seconds
    function() print("Tween finished!") end -- callback
)

Dependencies & tags

Components used: None identified
Tags: None identified

Properties

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
inst	Entity	nil	Reference to the entity that owns this component.
light	LightComponent or nil	nil	The light component being tweened.
i_falloff, i_intensity, i_radius	number or nil	nil	Initial (start) values for light properties.
i_colour_r, i_colour_g, i_colour_b	number or nil	nil	Initial RGB colour components.
t_falloff, t_intensity, t_radius	number or nil	nil	Target (end) values for light properties.
t_colour_r, t_colour_g, t_colour_b	number or nil	nil	Target RGB colour components.
callback	function or nil	nil	Function called when tween completes.
time	number or nil	nil	Total duration of the tween in seconds.
timepassed	number	0	Time elapsed since tween started.
tweening	boolean	false	Whether a tween is currently in progress.

Main functions

StartTween(light, rad, intensity, falloff, colour, time, callback)

• Description: Begins a tween operation on the specified light, interpolating its properties from current values to target values over time seconds. If time is 0, the tween completes immediately.
• Parameters:
  • light (LightComponent) — The light component to animate.
  • rad (number or nil) — Target radius.
  • intensity (number or nil) — Target intensity.
  • falloff (number or nil) — Target falloff.
  • colour (table or nil) — Table of {r, g, b}; values expected in [0, 1] range.
  • time (number) — Duration in seconds.
  • callback (function or nil) — Function to call upon completion, receiving (inst, light) as arguments.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: Returns early and prints a warning if light is nil or not provided; sets self.light but skips updating if unset.

EndTween()

• Description: Immediately sets the light to its final (target) values and stops the update loop.
• Parameters: None.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: No-op if self.light is nil.

OnUpdate(dt)

• Description: Updates the tween per frame by linearly interpolating between initial and target values. Called automatically while tweening is true.
• Parameters:
  • dt (number) — Time in seconds since last frame.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: Prints warning and stops updates if self.light is nil. Automatically calls EndTween() when timepassed >= time.

Events & listeners

• Listens to: None.
• Pushes: None.