Introduction

Viewpoint is a mod for Project Zomboid. It draws the game in first and third person. Other authors can add to it with addons, resource packs and Shaderpacks. Players see each package and control it from the settings window.

The three kinds of package

Kind	Contains	Descriptor
Addon	Java code. It can also contain assets, shader snippets and Lua.	addon.properties
Resource Pack	Models, tiles, sounds and data. No Java and no shader code.	pack.properties
Shaderpack	GLSL files and their options. No Java.	pack.properties

A model pack in the older Viewpoint model pack format is a resource pack with the legacy flag. See Package kinds.

What Viewpoint does with your package

• It loads your jar in a class loader of its own. Your code can use viewpoint.api, and the members of Viewpoint that are on the internals list.
• It shows your package in the settings window: an addon in Advanced, Addons, a resource pack in Graphics, Resource Packs, and a Shaderpack in Graphics, Shaderpacks. The player orders it, switches it on and off, and reads what it does. A restart is not necessary.
• It checks your jar when it loads it, and shows a label: Normal, Amber or Red. See Labels.
• It installs the hooks that you declare, runs them in the player’s order, and lists each active hook.
• It gives you files, downloads and assets through its services. Each service has a permission and limits.

What you can do in API 1.0

To do this	Use	Page
Read where the view is and what it shows	ViewState, ViewListener	View state
Give settings and key bindings	settings.properties, AddonSettings, KeyAction	Settings & keys
Read the view state from Lua	Viewpoint.Addons	Lua mirror
Give your Java functions to Lua	@LuaExport	Lua exports
Keep files	AddonFiles	Files
Get a file from the internet	AddonDownloads	Downloads
Load models, textures, sounds and data	AddonAssets	Assets
Give a feature to other addons	Services	Services
Move the camera	CameraLayer, CameraClaim	Camera layers
Follow the aim and the shots	AimListener, ShotListener	Aim & shots
Choose the model of an object	ModelProvider, AttachmentProvider	Model providers
Give numbers to shader code	ShaderValues	Shader values
Add a piece of GLSL to a shader	AddonSnippets	Shader snippets
Draw with OpenGL	DrawCallback, Gpu	Draw callbacks (planned)
Change what a game method does	@Hook	Managed patching
Change what a method of Viewpoint does	@Hook on a listed member	Hooking Viewpoint
Replace the game’s tile art	The tiles folder of a resource pack	Tiles
Choose a model from the state of an object	A version 2 manifest	Model states
Change how the whole frame looks	A Shaderpack	Shaderpack format

A page marked planned is not written yet. Its feature is part of API 1.0. The sidebar group Planned lists these pages.

ZombieBuddy mods are different

A mod that loads its Java through ZombieBuddy (javaJarFile in mod.info) is not managed by Viewpoint. Viewpoint shows it as Unmanaged. Viewpoint cannot order it, switch it off or check it. To change such a mod into an addon, read Migrating from ZombieBuddy.

Licence

The addon API (viewpoint-api.jar), the samples and these pages have the MIT licence. Viewpoint itself has a different licence. The font of these pages is Roboto Medium, under the Apache 2.0 licence (notice).

Where to go next

1. Getting started: make the smallest addon and switch it on.
2. Sample walkthrough: the samples that use each service.
3. Package kinds: which kind of package to make.
4. Descriptor: all keys of the descriptors.
5. Glossary: the terms these pages use.