props.tbl

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The props.tbl is used to define all of the props in the game. Props are distinct from ships in that they are entirely non-interactable except for collisions. They cannot move and they cannot be destroyed. Props are placed in the mission editor (in FRED, with SHIFT-CTRL-CLICK).

This table is one of the Modular Tables and can be extended with xxx-prp.tbm.

Code: /prop/prop.cpp. See Tables for every table.

Badges show the version a field or behavior was added in. The OFP badge marks what OFP adds.

Contents

1. General Format
2. #Prop Categories
3. #Props
4. Props.tbl flags
5. Sample

Field index (every field, one per line in table order; click one to jump to it)

#Prop Categories

• $Name:
• +Color:

#Props

• $Name:
• +nocreate
• +remove
• $POF file:
• $Closeup_pos:
• $Closeup_zoom:
• $Briefing icon:
  • +Regular:
  • +Fade:
  • +Highlight:
• $Detail Distance:
• $Category:
• $Flags:
• $Custom data:
  • +Val:
  • $end_custom_data
• $Custom Strings
  • $Name:
  • +Value:
  • +String:
  • $end_multi_text
• $end_custom_strings
• $Texture Replace:
  • +old:
  • +new:

Props.tbl flags

• "no_collide"
• "no_fred"
• "no lighting"

---

General Format

• #Prop Categories (optional): the categories, used to color and sort the props in the mission editor's list.
• #Props (required): the props.
• #End
• There is no #End between the two sections.
• The fields of a prop must be in the order listed here. Every field is optional unless noted.

#Prop Categories

• Used to define the color of the prop in the FRED list and to list props in similar categories together.

$Name:

• Defines the name of the category
• A name that already exists (in this or an earlier table, not case sensitive) replaces that category's color.
• The order categories are listed in is the order props are sorted in.
• Syntax: string

+Color:

• Required. Defines the color of the prop text in the FRED list in RGB values.
• Syntax: ( integer, integer, integer )

#Props

• The actual definitions for each prop.
• Unlike ships and weapons, there is no limit to prop definitions.

$Name:

• Defines the name of the prop. Must be unique.
• A name used twice in props.tbl logs a warning and the second entry is skipped. In a modular table, a name that already exists edits that prop.
• Syntax: string

+nocreate

• Optional, directly after $Name:. In a modular table, edits the prop only if it already exists (in props.tbl or an earlier *-prp.tbm), instead of creating an incomplete new one. Using it in props.tbl itself logs a warning.

+remove

• Optional, after $Name: (and +nocreate). In a modular table, removes a previously parsed prop. The name stays removed: a prop of that name in any later table is removed too.

$POF file:

• The POF file for the prop. Every prop needs one; a prop without it logs a warning after all tables are read.
• When a modular table changes it, a model file that doesn't exist logs a warning and the old one is kept.
• Syntax: string

$Closeup_pos:

• The position of the camera relative to the model center when the prop's model is shown in a menu view. Without it, a position in front of the model is worked out from its size.
• Syntax: Vector, three floats, x, y and z values respectively

$Closeup_zoom:

• How far the camera's zoomed in when the prop's model is shown in a menu view; defines the camera's FOV.
• Without it, 0.5 is used. A value of 0 or less is noted in the log and 0.5 is used.
• Syntax: Float, radians

$Briefing icon:

• The icon the briefing map shows for a briefing icon set to this prop class. When the prop has none, the icon's ship class and icon type pick the image as usual.
• Clicking the icon shows the prop's model, using $Closeup_pos: and $Closeup_zoom:.
• A prop has no wing or cargo icon variants.

+Regular:

• Syntax:

+Fade:

• Syntax:

+Highlight:

• Syntax:

$Detail Distance:

• Defines the distance where the change between different Levels-Of-Details (LODs) occurs
• Take notice that these are base values. Model detail in Detail options, (within game press F2), applies a multiplier to these values. These multipliers default to (from left to right): 1/8, 1/4, 1, 4, and 8, and may be overridden by the $Detail Distance Multiplier
• Syntax: (Detail Distances) , list of integers (same amount as LODs, at most 5), distances from the model in meters
  • Example: (0, 80, 300, 900)

$Category:

• The category (listed above) that this prop belongs to
• A prop with no category, or one that doesn't exist, logs a warning and is put in a gray "Unknown Category"
• Syntax: string

$Flags:

• See below. An unknown flag logs a warning.
• Syntax: ( "String" "String" ), names of the flags assigned to the prop
  • Example: ( "no_collide" "no_fred" )

$Custom data:

• Defines a set of custom data for this prop class, which can then be accessed through Lua scripts. There can be any amount of +Val: entries. It requires a $end_custom_data entry at the end. Check the scripting documentation of Prop Class to find the CustomData Lua Table.

+Val:

• Specifies a custom data value and its name, in the format
• +Val: Name Value
• These values will always be strings of text. If you use them in Lua as other types of value, you might need to convert them in the script.
• Syntax: string

$end_custom_data

• Mandatory entry to indicate that the Custom Data list has ended.

$Custom Strings

• Note: no colon. (The FreeSpace Wiki wrote $Custom strings:, which breaks parsing of the prop.)
• Defines a set of custom strings for this prop class, which can then be accessed through Lua scripts. There can be any amount of entries. It requires a $end_custom_strings entry at the end. Check the scripting documentation of Prop Class to find the CustomStrings Lua Table.

$Name:

• Specifies a custom string name
• Syntax: string

+Value:

• Required. Specifies a "value" or additional data point paired with the string. A common use case is an XSTR ID.
• Syntax: string

+String:

• Required. The actual string which is a multitext string
• Must end with $end_multi_text
• Syntax: string

$end_multi_text

$end_custom_strings

• Mandatory entry to indicate that the Custom Strings list has ended.

$Texture Replace:

• Replaces textures on the prop's model for every prop of this class. It works the same as $Texture Replace: in ships.tbl.
• Goes at the end of the prop entry, after $Custom Strings if the entry has that block.
• Followed by any number of +old: / +new: pairs. File extensions are ignored.
• Use invisible as the +new: texture to hide that part of the model.
• Syntax: $Texture Replace: followed by pairs of String values

+old:

• The name of the texture on the model to replace.
• Syntax: String

+new:

• The texture to use instead, or invisible.
• Syntax: String

Sample

$Name: Cargo Pod
$POF file: cargopod.pof
$Texture Replace:
+old: pod_hull
+new: pod_hull_red
+old: pod_decal
+new: invisible

#End

• Mandatory entry to indicate the props definitions have ended.

Props.tbl flags

"no_collide"

• Defines the prop as non-collideable, i.e. everything will go through it. Also accepted as "no-collide".

"no_fred"

• The prop will not appear in the mission editor's prop list.

"no lighting"

• The prop will not receive lighting calculations.

Sample

• Single Prop entry table

#PROP CATEGORIES

$Name: Rocks
+Color: (165, 42, 42)

$Name: Planets
+Color: (0, 255, 0)

#PROPS

$Name: Planet 1
$POF file: ast01.pof
$Detail distance: (400, 1000, 2000, 4000)
$Category: Planets

$Name: Rock
$POF file: asteroid01-01.pof
$Detail distance: (400, 1000, 2000, 4000)
$Category: Rocks

$Name: Planet 2
$POF file: ast02.pof
$Detail distance: (400, 1000, 2000, 4000)
$Category: Planets

$Name: Rock 2
$POF file: asteroid02-01.pof
$Detail distance: (400, 1000, 2000, 4000)
$Category: Rocks

#END