Putting Particle Effect on Ped/Player Bone

Attaching a Particle Effect to a character's bone causes the effect to track movement — great for auras, weapon trails, or status effects.

What is Bone Index?

Ped in GTA V has a skeleton made up of multiple bones. Each bone has an index that is used as a reference.

-- find bone index from name
local boneIndex = GetEntityBoneIndexByName(entity, boneName)

-- Check that bone exists.
if boneIndex == -1 then
  print("Bone not found!")
end

Bone Names that are frequently used

-- body
"SKEL_ROOT" -- center of body (belly)
"SKEL_Pelvis" -- Hips
"SKEL_Spine_Root" -- back tree
"SKEL_Spine3" -- middle back
"SKEL_Head" -- head
"SKEL_Neck_1" -- neck

-- hand
"SKEL_L_Hand" -- left hand
"SKEL_R_Hand" -- Right hand
"SKEL_L_Finger01" -- Left index finger
"SKEL_R_Finger01" -- Right index finger

-- foot
"SKEL_L_Foot" -- left foot
"SKEL_R_Foot" -- right foot

-- Weapons
"IK_R_Hand" -- tip of right hand (used with weapons)
"IK_L_Hand" -- tip of left hand

Example: Aura Effect all around

local auraHandle = nil

local function StartAura(ped)
  if not SafeRequestPtfx("scr_powerplay") then return end

  local boneIndex = GetEntityBoneIndexByName(ped, "SKEL_ROOT")

  UseParticleFxAssetNextCall("scr_powerplay")
  auraHandle = StartParticleFxLoopedOnEntityBone(
    "scr_powerplay_overlay_electricity_chars",
    ped,
    0.0, 0.0, 0.0, -- offset (no need to move)
    0.0, 0.0, 0.0, -- rotation
    boneIndex,
    1.5, -- scale
    false, false, false
  )
end

local function StopAura()
  if auraHandle then
    StopParticleFxLooped(auraHandle, false)
    auraHandle = nil
  end
end

Example: Fire flame on hand

local fireFxLeft = nil
local fireFxRight = nil

local function StartHandFire(ped)
  if not SafeRequestPtfx("core") then return end

  -- left hand
  local leftBone = GetEntityBoneIndexByName(ped, "SKEL_L_Hand")
  UseParticleFxAssetNextCall("core")
  fireFxLeft = StartParticleFxLoopedOnEntityBone(
    "ent_anim_fire",
    ped,
    0.0, 0.0, 0.05, -- offset up a bit.
    0.0, 0.0, 0.0,
    leftBone,
    0.5,
    false, false, false
  )

  -- right hand
  local rightBone = GetEntityBoneIndexByName(ped, "SKEL_R_Hand")
  UseParticleFxAssetNextCall("core")
  fireFxRight = StartParticleFxLoopedOnEntityBone(
    "ent_anim_fire",
    ped,
    0.0, 0.0, 0.05,
    0.0, 0.0, 0.0,
    rightBone,
    0.5,
    false, false, false
  )
end

Example: Effect on the head (Status Effect)

local function StartHeadEffect(ped, effectName, dictName)
  if not SafeRequestPtfx(dictName) then return end

  local boneIndex = GetEntityBoneIndexByName(ped, "SKEL_Head")

  UseParticleFxAssetNextCall(dictName)
  return StartParticleFxLoopedOnEntityBone(
    effectName,
    ped,
    0.0, 0.0, 0.1, -- offset slightly higher from the head.
    0.0, 0.0, 0.0,
    boneIndex,
    0.8,
    false, false, false
  )
end

-- use
local stunHandle = StartHeadEffect(
  PlayerPedId(),
  "scr_amb_electric_arc",
  "scr_rcbarry1"
)

Example: Non-Looped on Bone

local function BloodSpurtOnBone(ped, boneName)
  if not SafeRequestPtfx("core") then return end

  local boneIndex = GetEntityBoneIndexByName(ped, boneName)

  UseParticleFxAssetNextCall("core")
  StartParticleFxNonLoopedOnEntityBone(
    "ent_sht_blood",
    ped,
    0.0, 0.0, 0.0,
    0.0, 0.0, 0.0,
    boneIndex,
    1.0,
    false, false, false
  )
end

Tips

• Use offset to adjust the effect position to fit the model.
• SKEL_ROOT suitable for full-body effects
• For weapon effects use IK_R_Hand or IK_L_Hand
• Test boneIndex first to see if != -1 is always

Summary

Bone-attached effects give your script a professional look — try combining bone targeting with looped/non-looped effects to create impressive visual feedback.