Player and Avatar System in Decentraland

Player Position and Movement

Access the player's position via the reserved engine.PlayerEntity:

import { engine, Transform } from '@dcl/sdk/ecs'

function trackPlayer() {
  if (!Transform.has(engine.PlayerEntity)) return

  const playerTransform = Transform.get(engine.PlayerEntity)
  console.log('Player position:', playerTransform.position)
  console.log('Player rotation:', playerTransform.rotation)
}

engine.addSystem(trackPlayer)

Distance-Based Logic

import { Vector3 } from '@dcl/sdk/math'

function proximityCheck() {
  const playerPos = Transform.get(engine.PlayerEntity).position
  const npcPos = Transform.get(npcEntity).position
  const distance = Vector3.distance(playerPos, npcPos)

  if (distance < 5) {
    console.log('Player is near the NPC')
  }
}

engine.addSystem(proximityCheck)

Player Profile Data

Get the player's name, wallet address, and guest status:

import { getPlayer } from '@dcl/sdk/src/players'

function main() {
  const player = getPlayer()
  if (player) {
    console.log('Name:', player.name)
    console.log('User ID:', player.userId)
    console.log('Is guest:', player.isGuest)
  }
}

userId — the player's Ethereum wallet address (or guest ID)
isGuest — true if the player hasn't connected a wallet

Avatar Attachments

Attach 3D objects to a player's avatar:

import { engine, Transform, GltfContainer, AvatarAttach, AvatarAnchorPointType } from '@dcl/sdk/ecs'

const hat = engine.addEntity()
GltfContainer.create(hat, { src: 'models/hat.glb' })

// Attach to the local player's avatar
AvatarAttach.create(hat, {
  anchorPointId: AvatarAnchorPointType.AAPT_NAME_TAG
})

Anchor Points

AvatarAnchorPointType.AAPT_NAME_TAG      // Above the head
AvatarAnchorPointType.AAPT_RIGHT_HAND    // Right hand
AvatarAnchorPointType.AAPT_LEFT_HAND     // Left hand
AvatarAnchorPointType.AAPT_POSITION      // Avatar root position

Attach to a Specific Player

AvatarAttach.create(hat, {
  avatarId: '0x123...abc',  // Target player's wallet address
  anchorPointId: AvatarAnchorPointType.AAPT_RIGHT_HAND
})

Triggering Emotes

Default Emotes

import { triggerEmote } from '~system/RestrictedActions'

// Play a built-in emote
triggerEmote({ predefinedEmote: 'robot' })
triggerEmote({ predefinedEmote: 'wave' })
triggerEmote({ predefinedEmote: 'clap' })

Custom Scene Emotes

import { triggerSceneEmote } from '~system/RestrictedActions'

// Play a custom emote animation (file must end with _emote.glb)
triggerSceneEmote({
  src: 'animations/Snowball_Throw_emote.glb',
  loop: false
})

Notes:

Emotes play only while the player is standing still — walking or jumping interrupts them
Custom emote files must have the _emote.glb suffix

NPC Avatars

Create avatar-shaped NPCs using AvatarShape:

import { engine, Transform, AvatarShape } from '@dcl/sdk/ecs'
import { Vector3 } from '@dcl/sdk/math'

const npc = engine.addEntity()
Transform.create(npc, { position: Vector3.create(8, 0, 8) })

AvatarShape.create(npc, {
  id: 'npc-1',
  name: 'Guard',
  bodyShape: 'urn:decentraland:off-chain:base-avatars:BaseMale',  // or BaseFemale
  wearables: [
    'urn:decentraland:off-chain:base-avatars:eyebrows_00',
    'urn:decentraland:off-chain:base-avatars:mouth_00',
    'urn:decentraland:off-chain:base-avatars:eyes_00',
    'urn:decentraland:off-chain:base-avatars:blue_tshirt',
    'urn:decentraland:off-chain:base-avatars:brown_pants',
    'urn:decentraland:off-chain:base-avatars:classic_shoes',
    'urn:decentraland:off-chain:base-avatars:short_hair'
  ],
  hairColor: { r: 0.92, g: 0.76, b: 0.62 },  // RGB values 0-1
  skinColor: { r: 0.94, g: 0.85, b: 0.6 },   // RGB values 0-1
  emotes: []
})

Mannequin (Show Only Wearables)

Display just the wearables without a full avatar body:

AvatarShape.create(mannequin, {
  id: 'mannequin-1',
  name: 'Display',
  wearables: [
    'urn:decentraland:matic:collections-v2:0x90e5cb2d673699be8f28d339c818a0b60144c494:0'
  ],
  show_only_wearables: true
})

NPC avatars are static — they display the avatar model but don't move or animate on their own. Combine with Animator or Tween for movement.

Avatar Modifier Areas

Modify how avatars appear or behave in a region:

import { engine, Transform, AvatarModifierArea, AvatarModifierType } from '@dcl/sdk/ecs'
import { Vector3 } from '@dcl/sdk/math'

const modifierArea = engine.addEntity()
Transform.create(modifierArea, {
  position: Vector3.create(8, 1.5, 8),
  scale: Vector3.create(4, 3, 4)
})

AvatarModifierArea.create(modifierArea, {
  area: { box: Vector3.create(4, 3, 4) },
  modifiers: [AvatarModifierType.AMT_HIDE_AVATARS],
  excludeIds: ['0x123...abc']  // Optional: exclude specific players
})

Available Modifiers

AvatarModifierType.AMT_HIDE_AVATARS       // Hide all avatars in the area
AvatarModifierType.AMT_DISABLE_PASSPORTS  // Disable clicking on avatars to see profiles
AvatarModifierType.AMT_DISABLE_JUMPING    // Prevent jumping in the area

Movement Constraints

// Prevent jumping in a specific area
const constraintArea = engine.addEntity()
Transform.create(constraintArea, {
  position: Vector3.create(8, 5, 8),
  scale: Vector3.create(6, 10, 6)
})

AvatarModifierArea.create(constraintArea, {
  area: { box: Vector3.create(6, 10, 6) },
  modifiers: [AvatarModifierType.AMT_DISABLE_JUMPING]
})

Teleporting the Player

You MUST use movePlayerTo from ~system/RestrictedActions to move or teleport the player. Setting Transform.getMutable(engine.PlayerEntity).position does NOT work — the runtime ignores direct writes to the player transform.

import { movePlayerTo } from '~system/RestrictedActions'

// Move player to a position
void movePlayerTo({
  newRelativePosition: Vector3.create(8, 0, 8)
})

// Move player with camera direction
void movePlayerTo({
  newRelativePosition: Vector3.create(8, 0, 8),
  cameraTarget: Vector3.create(8, 1, 12)
})

Avatar Change Listeners

React to avatar changes in real-time:

import { AvatarEmoteCommand, AvatarBase, AvatarEquippedData } from '@dcl/sdk/ecs'

// Detect when any player triggers an emote
AvatarEmoteCommand.onChange(engine.PlayerEntity, (cmd) => {
  if (cmd) console.log('Emote played:', cmd.emoteUrn)
})

// Detect avatar appearance changes (wearables, skin color, etc.)
AvatarBase.onChange(engine.PlayerEntity, (base) => {
  if (base) console.log('Avatar name:', base.name)
})

// Detect equipment changes
AvatarEquippedData.onChange(engine.PlayerEntity, (equipped) => {
  if (equipped) console.log('Wearables changed:', equipped.wearableUrns)
})

Additional Anchor Points

Beyond the commonly used anchor points, the full list includes:

AvatarAnchorPointType.AAPT_POSITION — avatar feet position
AvatarAnchorPointType.AAPT_NAME_TAG — above the name tag
AvatarAnchorPointType.AAPT_LEFT_HAND / AAPT_RIGHT_HAND
AvatarAnchorPointType.AAPT_HEAD — head bone
AvatarAnchorPointType.AAPT_NECK — neck bone

Best Practices

Always check Transform.has(engine.PlayerEntity) before reading player data — it may not be ready on the first frame
Use getPlayer() to check isGuest before attempting wallet-dependent features
AvatarAttach requires the target player to be in the same scene — attachments disappear when the player leaves
Custom emote files must use the _emote.glb naming convention
Use AvatarModifierArea with AMT_HIDE_AVATARS for private rooms or puzzle areas
Add excludeIds to modifier areas when you want specific players (like the scene owner) to remain visible
Never use Transform.getMutable(engine.PlayerEntity) to move the player — it does not work. Always use movePlayerTo from ~system/RestrictedActions
Transform.get(engine.PlayerEntity) is valid for reading position only

For component field details, see {baseDir}/../../context/components-reference.md.

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