Entity: .ent files

All the dirty detes on entity files

Mesh/Component entity (simple entity)

Used to define game entities and the most straightforward way of adding a custom prop or player clothing to the game.

For player equipment, you can use entity files such as this one to encapsulate parts of your item. You load such .ent files via partsValues, and they will be added to the corresponding appearance as if the components had been in the .app file itself.

As of April 2023, this does not work for NPC appearances or custom props.

Root entity

The entry point for the game to display an NPC or prop. This kind of entity usually doesn't have components by itself, but only points towards the .app file where they are defined.

From ArchiveXL item additions, this kind of file is usually called a root entity.

• An entity file can define multiple appearances, which can point to different .app files.

• For creating props, root entities are used as the defining key (one entity => one item, which can have multiple appearances)

• Names support suffixes, allowing you to load different appearances based on body gender or camera mode. These are only used for player clothing. They look like &FPP

• How you split your .app files is largely a matter of taste. At CDPR, they usually shove everything into one file.