02. Common Natives
02. Common Natives
Plain English
This is a cheat sheet of the natives you’ll use 90% of the time. Don’t memorize - bookmark and skim.
If a native isn’t here, look it up: docs.fivem.net/natives.
Player
-- ↓ on the LOCAL CLIENT
local pid = PlayerId() -- the local player's "client index" (a small number, NOT the server ID)
local ped = PlayerPedId() -- handle to the local player's character ped
local sid = GetPlayerServerId(pid) -- the server ID (what /admin sees, the one you target with TriggerClientEvent)
-- ↓ iterate ALL players in scope (client side)
local allIds = GetActivePlayers() -- returns local indexes that are nearby/in-scope (NOT all server-wide)
for _, pid in ipairs(allIds) do
local name = GetPlayerName(pid) -- their display name
local ped = GetPlayerPed(pid) -- handle to their ped
end
-- ↓ on the SERVER
-- "src" comes from event source or you have it from elsewhere (e.g., a server ID)
local src = ... -- a server ID like 1, 42, 127
local ped = GetPlayerPed(src) -- their ped (server-side handle)
local name = GetPlayerName(src) -- name string
local allIds = GetPlayers() -- ALL connected players, returns STRINGS like "1", "2"...
for _, pidStr in ipairs(allIds) do
local pid = tonumber(pidStr) -- always tonumber() the strings
end
Server IDs vs client indexes is a confusing point. On the client, PlayerId() gives you a local 0-based index for use with native functions. On the server, you work with server IDs like 1, 42. Never mix the two.
Entity Basics
local coords = GetEntityCoords(entity) -- returns vector3
local heading = GetEntityHeading(entity) -- yaw in degrees, 0-360
local model = GetEntityModel(entity) -- model hash (number)
local alive = not IsEntityDead(entity) -- inverted because there's no IsEntityAlive
local exists = DoesEntityExist(entity) -- entity still in the game world?
SetEntityCoords(entity, x, y, z, false, false, false, true) -- teleport. flags: x/y/z axis booleans, then "clearArea"
SetEntityHeading(entity, 90.0) -- face east
SetEntityInvincible(entity, true) -- godmode
FreezeEntityPosition(entity, true) -- can't be moved by physics or ai
DeleteEntity(entity) -- remove from world (only works on owned entities)
Ped (Character)
-- ↓ state checks (booleans)
IsPedInAnyVehicle(ped, false) -- second arg "considerEnteringAsInVehicle"
IsPedDeadOrDying(ped, true) -- second arg = consider "dying" state too
IsPedRunning(ped)
IsPedShooting(ped)
IsPedSwimming(ped)
IsPedFalling(ped)
IsPedRagdoll(ped)
IsPedCuffed(ped)
-- ↓ health / armor
local hp = GetEntityHealth(ped) -- 0-200 for players (100 base + 100 max armor stretches it)
SetEntityHealth(ped, 200) -- full HP
local armor = GetPedArmour(ped) -- 0-100
SetPedArmour(ped, 100) -- full armor
-- ↓ weapons
GiveWeaponToPed(ped, `WEAPON_PISTOL`, 50, false, true) -- weapon, ammo, isHidden, equipNow
RemoveWeaponFromPed(ped, `WEAPON_PISTOL`)
RemoveAllPedWeapons(ped, true) -- second arg "removeAllAmmo"
local hash = GetSelectedPedWeapon(ped) -- currently held weapon
Vehicle
-- ↓ spawn
local model = `adder`
RequestModel(model)
while not HasModelLoaded(model) do Wait(0) end
-- CreateVehicle args: model, x, y, z, heading, isNetworked, netMissionEntity
local veh = CreateVehicle(model, x, y, z, heading, true, false)
SetModelAsNoLongerNeeded(model) -- always release after creating
-- ↓ attributes
SetVehicleEngineOn(veh, true, true, false) -- on, instantly (no startup), no driver-required
SetVehicleDoorsLocked(veh, 2) -- 2 = locked. see SetVehicleDoorsLocked docs for full list
SetVehicleNumberPlateText(veh, 'LRN 1') -- max 8 chars
SetVehicleCustomPrimaryColour(veh, 255, 0, 0) -- RGB
SetVehicleFuelLevel(veh, 100.0) -- 0-100. needs LegacyFuel-like resource to actually drain.
-- ↓ queries
local model = GetEntityModel(veh) -- hash
local plate = GetVehicleNumberPlateText(veh) -- string, sometimes with trailing spaces
local class = GetVehicleClass(veh) -- 0 compact, 1 sedan, 18 emergency, etc.
local speed = GetEntitySpeed(veh) -- meters/second
-- ↓ occupants
local driver = GetPedInVehicleSeat(veh, -1) -- -1 = driver seat
local pass = GetPedInVehicleSeat(veh, 0) -- 0 = front passenger
-- ↓ enter/exit
TaskEnterVehicle(ped, veh, 5000, -1, 2.0, 1, 0) -- timeout, seat, speed, flag, p6
TaskLeaveVehicle(ped, veh, 0) -- 0 = normal exit
SetPedIntoVehicle(ped, veh, -1) -- INSTANT teleport into seat
Coords / Math
local c = GetEntityCoords(ped) -- vector3
local d = #(c - targetCoords) -- distance using vector subtraction (FiveM Lua quirk: # on a vector = magnitude)
local d2 = Vdist(c.x, c.y, c.z, tx, ty, tz) -- equivalent, takes 6 floats
-- ↓ "what's the ground height at x,y?"
local ok, z = GetGroundZFor_3dCoord(x, y, 1000.0, false) -- raycast down from a high z
-- ok = true if ground was found, z = the ground's z coord
The #(v1 - v2) syntax is FiveM Lua specific. Pure Lua doesn’t have vector types. FiveM adds vector2, vector3, vector4, and quat natively.
Blips (Map Markers)
local blip = AddBlipForCoord(x, y, z) -- create a blip at a point
SetBlipSprite(blip, 108) -- 108 = scuba mask, see sprite list link below
SetBlipColour(blip, 3) -- 3 = blue
SetBlipScale(blip, 0.8) -- size multiplier, 1.0 default
SetBlipAsShortRange(blip, true) -- only visible when zoomed in
-- ↓ name on the map (3-step "begin/component/end" pattern is common in GTA HUD natives)
BeginTextCommandSetBlipName('STRING')
AddTextComponentString('My Blip')
EndTextCommandSetBlipName(blip)
RemoveBlip(blip) -- delete it
Blip sprite list: docs.fivem.net/docs/game-references/blips
Markers (3D World Cylinders, Arrows, etc.)
-- ↓ MUST be drawn every frame in a Wait(0) loop, otherwise it doesn't appear
DrawMarker(
1, -- marker type. 1 = vertical cylinder
x, y, z - 0.98, -- position (offset z by ~1m to stick to ground)
0.0, 0.0, 0.0, -- direction (rarely used for type 1)
0.0, 0.0, 0.0, -- rotation
2.0, 2.0, 1.0, -- scale x, y, z
0, 255, 0, 100, -- RGBA color (green, semi-transparent)
false, -- bobUpAndDown
true, -- faceCamera
2, -- p19 (always 2)
false, -- rotate
nil, nil, -- textureDict, textureName (for type 9)
false -- drawOnEntities
)
Drawing markers is expensive at 60 fps. Prefer lib.zones or lib.points (covered in 06-ox-libraries/01-ox-lib.md) - they batch the work.
Text
2D HUD Text
SetTextFont(4) -- 4 = Chalet Comprimé
SetTextScale(0.5, 0.5)
SetTextColour(255, 255, 255, 255) -- white, full alpha
SetTextOutline() -- adds black outline for readability
BeginTextCommandDisplayText('STRING') -- start the text command
AddTextComponentString('Hello') -- the actual content
EndTextCommandDisplayText(0.5, 0.5) -- screen position (0-1 range, 0.5 = center)
3D World Text
local onScreen, sx, sy = World3dToScreen2d(x, y, z) -- project a world point to screen coords
if onScreen then
SetTextFont(4)
SetTextScale(0.35, 0.35)
SetTextOutline()
BeginTextCommandDisplayText('STRING')
AddTextComponentString('World text')
EndTextCommandDisplayText(sx, sy)
end
Input (Keys)
-- ↓ in a per-frame loop (Wait(0))
if IsControlJustPressed(0, 38) then openMenu() end -- 38 = E key (input "INPUT_PICKUP")
if IsControlPressed(0, 21) then sprint() end -- 21 = LSHIFT (held)
DisableControlAction(0, 38, true) -- disable a control this frame
Common control IDs:
- 38 - E
- 47 - G
- 74 - H
- 23 - F
- 29 - B
- 21 - Left Shift
- 36 - Left Ctrl
- 22 - Space
Full list: docs.fivem.net/docs/game-references/controls
Vanilla GTA Notifications (Ugly - Use ox_lib Instead)
SetNotificationTextEntry('STRING')
AddTextComponentString('Hello')
DrawNotification(false, true)
Functional but ancient styling. Modern code uses lib.notify from ox_lib.
Streaming (Anims, Models)
-- ↓ load an anim dict (animation library)
RequestAnimDict('amb@world_human_smoking@male@male_a@base')
while not HasAnimDictLoaded('amb@world_human_smoking@male@male_a@base') do
Wait(0)
end
-- ↓ play an anim from the loaded dict
TaskPlayAnim(
ped,
'amb@world_human_smoking@male@male_a@base', -- dict name
'base', -- anim name within the dict
8.0, -8.0, -- blend in/out speeds
-1, -- duration (-1 = loop forever)
49, -- flags. 49 = "play upper body, allow movement"
0, false, false, false -- playback rate, lock x, lock y, lock z
)
Screen Effects
-- ↓ fade to black, do something, fade back in
DoScreenFadeOut(500) -- 500ms fade
Wait(500) -- wait for the fade
-- now teleport, swap models, whatever
DoScreenFadeIn(500)
-- ↓ post-process effects
StartScreenEffect('DrugsDrivingIn', 0, true) -- start the named effect
StopScreenEffect('DrugsDrivingIn') -- stop it
Time / Weather
NetworkOverrideClockTime(12, 0, 0) -- set time (hour, min, sec). LOCAL only unless synced.
SetWeatherTypeNowPersist('EXTRASUNNY') -- weather type
Usually you let qbx_weathersync or similar handle this server-wide. Don’t call raw on every client unless you own the time/weather system.
Server-Only Natives
DropPlayer(src, 'reason') -- kick. "reason" shows in disconnect screen.
GetPlayerName(src) -- display name
GetPlayerPing(src) -- ms
GetPlayerIdentifierByType(src, 'license') -- license, steam, discord, fivem, ip, xbl, live
GetPlayerIdentifierByType(src, 'steam')
GetPlayerIdentifierByType(src, 'discord')
ExecuteCommand('kick 1 reason') -- run a server command from code
Snippet - Teleport The Player
SetEntityCoords(PlayerPedId(), x, y, z, false, false, false, true)
Snippet - Find The Nearest Vehicle (Client)
local ped = PlayerPedId()
local pos = GetEntityCoords(ped)
local vehicles = GetGamePool('CVehicle') -- EXPENSIVE: iterates every vehicle the engine tracks
local closest, dist = nil, 999.0
for _, v in ipairs(vehicles) do
local d = #(GetEntityCoords(v) - pos)
if d < dist then
dist = d
closest = v
end
end
GetGamePool('CVehicle') is slow. Don’t run it every frame. For peds and players, prefer lib.getNearbyPlayers / lib.getNearbyPeds from ox_lib.
Snippet - Force Sprint Speed
SetRunSprintMultiplierForPlayer(PlayerId(), 1.49) -- 1.0 = default. 1.49 ≈ max safe value before anti-cheats flag
Snippet - Make Player Semi-Transparent
SetEntityAlpha(PlayerPedId(), 100, false) -- 0-255. 100 = pretty transparent.
ResetEntityAlpha(PlayerPedId()) -- restore
TL;DR
- This is a reference page - bookmark, skim, don’t memorize.
- Use
fivem_doc_lookup(MCP) or VS Code autocomplete for signatures. - Always release streamed assets (
SetModelAsNoLongerNeeded). - Markers and text in
Wait(0)loops are expensive - preferlib.zones/lib.points.
Sources
- Native database (searchable) - the truth
- Game references (controls, blips, peds) - sprite IDs, control IDs
- Vehicle Models
- Weapon Models
- Ped Models
Next folder: 04-database/ - start with 01-oxmysql-basics.md
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