Datablocks

In Torque3D, Datablocks are a way to store data that can be shared among multiple instances of a class. They allow you to define common properties and behaviors that can be shared by multiple objects, making it easier to manage and maintain your objects in a scene and minimizing data duplication and networking overhead.

What is a Datablock?

A Datablock is a type of object in Torque3D that stores data that can be shared by multiple instances of a class. They are defined as separate objects from the objects that use them, and they contain data that can be used by multiple instances of a class to define their properties and behaviors.

Features of Datablocks

Datablocks have several key features, including:

• Reusability: Datablocks can be used by multiple instances of a class, which makes it easier to manage and maintain your objects in a scene. You can define a Datablock once, and then reuse it for multiple instances of a class, which saves time and reduces the risk of errors.

• Flexibility: Datablocks can be changed, and the changes will be reflected in all instances of a class that use the Datablock. This allows you to make global changes to the properties and behaviors of objects in your gane, without having to make changes to each object individually.

• Performance: By using Datablocks, you can reduce the amount of memory and processing power required to manage and maintain your objects in a scene.

• Networking: Because Datablocks are sent from server to client, the game can be assured that the client has the same data as the server. Additionally, because they're sent during initial connection, it's data that doesn't need to be re-sent during normal network updates, keeping data transmission as low as possible.

Using Datablocks

To use a Datablock in Torque3D, you need to create a Datablock object and define its properties. Then, you can reference the Datablock from multiple instances of a class to share its properties and behaviors.

For example, let's say you have a Player class, it has a variable, health, that can be used for all instances of the Player class. To use this, you would create a PlayerDatablock object, and define the health property. Then, you would reference the PlayerDatablock from each instance of the Player class to share its health property.

datablock PlayerDatablock(PlayerDB)
{
   health = 100;
};

// Use the datablock for the player
%player = new Player() {
   datablock = PlayerDB;
};

In this example, the PlayerDatablock object is defined with a property named health, which is set to 100. The Player class references the PlayerDatablock by calling the setDatablock method and passing in the PlayerDB object.

For a breakdown of how to create your own classes utilizing datablocks, you can go to this page: