Code-based and Animation-based pipelines

1. Introduction

Code-based (CB) and Animation-based (AB) are the two pipelines used to handle the visual side (model/animation) of the hand and gun objects in the main game.
GDE is the supporting tool that lets anyone who wants to bring their own weapon into the game work with both pipelines quickly and correctly.

The CB pipeline plays the core role in getting a weapon into the main game, covering the minimum parameters needed for it to function.
CB gives a fast workflow, at the cost of "poorer" animation compared to the AB pipeline.
The AB pipeline is the more complete approach, and depends partly on CB to work.
AB gun/hand needs a detailed animation set (reload, chamber a round, draw the weapon, etc.), handled by the model/animation creator.
CB can work without AB. Specifically: once a weapon meets CB's requirements, it can already function normally in the game (fire, reload, use attachments), but without AB it's missing the polished animations that give gunplay its real soul.
During rapid testing, CB guarantees the weapon is functional, while AB is an important piece "added on later" that has a strong impact on the experience.
For anyone who just needs to get their gun into the game, making sure the CB pipeline is complete is enough to cover that need.

CBH is the default hand model, built directly into the game's package.
CBG serves 2 roles: used in FPS view, and used as the weapon's "world model" (once it's dropped in the environment).
CBH and CBG share a single pivot, both in-game and in the 3D software when exporting, forming one unified set.
CBH is essentially the parent of CBG; the animations CBH plays are simply poses matched onto the CBG mesh.
All CBH and CBG behavior is driven "procedurally" by the game's hardcoded logic.

CBH animation is a 1-frame animation type, existing as 3 poses:
- Pose normal
  - Right hand grips the hand grip, index finger resting on the trigger.
  - Left hand grips the CBG's hand guard.
- Pose mount
  - Right hand same as pose normal, while the left hand grips the CBG's magazine (if any).
- Pose shield: the pose used while holding a ballistic shield.
The game's hardcoded logic interpolates between these poses depending on the situation.

CBG has 3 animations, 2 of which are poses (1-frame) and 1 a regular animation:
- Pose original: the default position when the CBG's bolt (if any) isn't cycling.
- Pose dry: the position when the bolt is locked back, typically used for pistols or weapons with a bolt-lockback mechanism. If pose dry isn't provided, CBG falls back to pose original.
- Anim shoot: the bolt runs through a full cycle, from its starting position, kicking back to the case-eject position, then returning to its starting position.

In the 3D software (Blender), the hand and gun model/pose are created and worked on as a single unified piece, covering every combined animation required in Modding Tools/GDE/Manual/Danh sách animation luồng AB. The game, however, treats them as 2 separate objects, ABH and ABG. This is because the attachment system needs a standalone ABG to mount onto.
In practice, ABH and ABG play the same animation at the same time, creating the feel of them fitting together into one.

For CB and AB to work correctly, the model/animation of both pipelines need to follow certain standards. See Tiêu chuẩn animation cho CB và AB
Check the diagram below to get a clearer picture of the parent/child relationship as well as how these components operate in the codebase.
Character, Cam, Hand, Gun, Attachment Chain.canvas