Lifecycle Overview

In awe, Scripts, ScriptComponents and ScriptBehaviors have special lifecycle methods that run at key moments:

export default class GameManager {
  elapsedTime = 0;
  maxGameTime = 10;
 
  onStart() {
    this.elapsedTime = 0;
  }
 
  // this is what you often hear as the game loop
  // it will run at every frame, eg. 60fps means this runs 60 times / second
  onUpdate(dt: number) {
    this.elapsedTime += dt;
  }
}

onPreload()

Runs before asset loading; ideal for async setup or resource definitions.

onReady()

Called after all assets load. Put one-time initializations here.

onStart()

Triggers each time the game starts. Good for resetting positions, timers, etc.

onUpdate(dt)

Runs every frame. dt is elapsed time since last frame. Handle movement, collision, and real-time logic here.

onPause() / onResume()

• Pause: Stop animations/timers.
• Resume: Reactivate paused elements.

onEnd()

Runs when the game ends (e.g., after World.stop()).

onDispose()

The final cleanup hook after a session ends. Release or unsubscribe resources here.

Use these methods to manage your game’s flow and keep logic organized and responsive.

ScriptComponent Lifecycle

Components are a superset of Scripts. They have the same lifecycle methods, but also have rendering lifecycle callbacks

onRender()

Invoked when the host component is initialized. Typically used to initialize state and create a Mesh and materials for the component.

onRenderUpdate()

Invoked when the host component is updated. Typically used to update the Mesh and materials for the component. i.e. a spinning cube.

onRenderDispose()

Invoked when the host component is disposed. Typically used to dispose of the Mesh and materials for the component.

onGetCollisionMesh()

Invoked when the host component is asked for its collision mesh (if any). This can be overrided to define a custom collision mesh rather than the one defined in onRender().

ScriptBehavior Lifecycle

ScriptBehaviors are a superset of ScriptComponents. They have the same script lifecycle methods, but also have animation and collision lifecycle callbacks.

Differences between ScriptComponents and ScriptBehaviors

Please note that these methods are also available on ScriptComponents with two main differences:

• ScriptBehaviors retain collision lifecycles across programatic duplicates of the host component, whereas ScriptComponents do not. This is important since the callbacks below will not be initialized on programatic duplicates of ScriptComponents. For example, if you have a collectable coin, and you duplicate it, the duplicate will not have the same collision behavior.
• ScriptBehaviors can be applied to components within the GUI editor, whereas ScriptComponents cannot be.
• ScriptComponents can be added directly to a scene via the GUI editor, whereas ScriptBehaviors must be added either by code, or by adding a Behavior to a ScriptComponent via the GUI editor.

onEditorMeshClicked(mesh, intersect), onEditorMeshMouseEnter(mesh, intersect), onEditorMeshMouseLeave(mesh)

Triggered when a mesh is clicked, hovered over, or left in the editor. Provides the clicked/hovered mesh and intersection details.

handleSensorEnter(event), handleSensorExit(event), handleSensorStay(event)

Triggered when an object enters, exits, or remains within the sensor area of the host component. For example, this could be used to make a component collectable.

handleCollisionEnter(event), handleCollisionExit(event), handleCollisionStay(event)

Triggered when a collision begins, ends, or remains between the host and another object. For example, this could be used to add a pushback force to the host when it collides with the player.