Cortex - PolCam release

Cortex PolCam

A FLIR-style police helicopter camera system for FiveM with target tracking, spotlight, hover/orbit autopilot, rappelling, and multi-crew synchronization.

Dependencies

Resource	Required	Notes
es_lib	Yes	Required for notifications, radial progress, and debug tools. Must be started before polcam.
es_hud	Optional	Auto-detected. Hides the player HUD while the camera is active and optionally forces the aircraft HUD for the pilot.
nearest-postal	Optional	Provides postal code data for the camera overlay.

es_hud Compatibility

PolCam integrates with es_hud to manage HUD visibility while the camera is active. When the camera activates, it calls exports.es_hud:hideHud('polcam') to hide the player HUD, and exports.es_hud:showHud('polcam') when deactivated. es_hud recognizes 'polcam' as a visibility reason and handles it accordingly.

The pilot can optionally have the aircraft HUD forced on via exports.es_hud:setForceAircraftHud().

Configure this behavior in config.lua:

Config.EsHud = {
    Enabled = true,                  -- Enable es_hud integration
    AutoDetect = true,               -- Auto-detect if es_hud is running
    ShowAircraftHudForPilot = false,  -- Force aircraft HUD for the pilot while camera is active
    FallbackAircraftHud = false,      -- Use polcam's built-in aircraft HUD if es_hud is unavailable
}

es_lib Integration

es_lib is used for notifications, the target lock radial progress, and debug tooling.

Config.Lib = {
    Notify = 'auto'  -- 'auto' uses es_lib for notifications
}

When Config.Debug.ToolsEnabled is true, es_lib provides the debug panel and debug menu (bound to F10). If es_lib is not running, all debug features are automatically disabled.

Exports

Client Exports

Export	Returns	Description
IsPolCamActive()	boolean	Whether the camera is currently active
GetCurrentTarget()	entity, table	The locked target entity and target info table
GetCameraHeading()	number	Current camera heading in degrees
IsRappelAvailable()	boolean	Whether rappel conditions are met (altitude, seat, helicopter)
IsRappeling()	boolean	Whether a rappel is currently in progress
StartRappel()	—	Triggers a rappel from the helicopter
ConvertSpeed(speed)	number	Converts a speed value to display units
ConvertAltitude(altitude)	number	Converts an altitude value to display units
ConvertDistance(distance)	number	Converts a distance value to display units
OpenPolCamDebugMenu()	—	Opens the debug menu (requires Config.Debug.ToolsEnabled = true)

Server Exports

Export	Returns	Description
GetActiveAirFeeds()	table	Returns a list of all active air feed entries (camera operators currently online)
GetAirFeedById(feedId)	table	Returns a single air feed by its feed ID (e.g. "air:123")
GetTrackedDatalinkTargets()	table	Returns all currently tracked vehicle targets across all active air feeds

Configuration

All settings are in config.lua.

Core

Config.AllowedHelicopters = { "polmav", "maverick" }
Config.AllowedSeats = { -1, 0, 1, 2 }    -- Seats that can activate the camera (-1 = driver)
Config.InstantLock = false                 -- false = uses es_lib radial progress for lock acquisition

Keybinds

Config.Keybinds = {
    ToggleCamera  = "E",       -- Activate/deactivate camera
    ToggleUI      = "H",       -- Toggle camera UI overlay
    ToggleStreets = "N",       -- Toggle street name overlay
    ToggleHover   = "X",       -- Toggle hover autopilot
    ToggleOrbit   = "O",       -- Toggle orbit autopilot
    Spotlight     = "L",       -- Toggle spotlight
    CycleSpotlightColor = "K", -- Cycle spotlight color
    CycleVision   = "V",       -- Cycle vision mode (normal/NV/thermal)
    LockTarget    = "SPACE",   -- Lock/unlock target
    GroundLock    = "T",       -- Lock camera to ground position
    PlaceMarker   = "G",       -- Place a POI marker
    DeleteMarker  = "DELETE",  -- Delete nearest marker
    ToggleDebug   = "F10",     -- Toggle debug menu (requires ToolsEnabled)
}

Camera

Config.Camera = {
    MinZoom = 1.0,              -- Minimum zoom level
    MaxZoom = 30.0,             -- Maximum zoom level
    DefaultZoom = 5.0,          -- Starting zoom level
    ZoomSpeed = 2.0,            -- Zoom input speed
    SmoothZoomSpeed = 8.0,      -- Zoom interpolation speed
    DefaultFOV = 50.0,          -- Default field of view
    MinFOV = 2.0,               -- Minimum FOV (max zoom)
    MaxFOV = 70.0,              -- Maximum FOV (min zoom)
    RotationSpeed = 3.0,        -- Camera rotation speed
    MaxVerticalAngle = 89.0,    -- Max upward angle
    MinVerticalAngle = -30.0,   -- Max downward angle
    ZoomSensitivityMinMultiplier = 0.20,
    CameraOffset = vector3(0.0, 2.5, -1.5),
    RenderDistance = 1000.0,    -- Max render distance
}

Tracking

Config.Tracking = {
    Enabled = true,
    LockDurationMs = 1200,                -- Lock acquisition time (when InstantLock = false)
    TrackVehicles = true,                  -- Allow locking vehicles
    TrackPeds = true,                      -- Allow locking pedestrians
    TrackingSpeed = 12.0,                  -- Camera follow speed when locked
    DetectionBaseRadius = 3.0,             -- Base detection radius
    DetectionScaling = 0.025,              -- Detection radius scaling with distance
    DetectionMaxRadius = 35.0,             -- Max detection radius
    TargetingMaxDistanceVehicles = 1000.0, -- Max lock range for vehicles
    TargetingMaxDistancePeds = 1000.0,     -- Max lock range for peds
    UsePoolFallbackTargeting = true,       -- Fallback to entity pool scanning
    PlateVisibilityAngle = 45.0,           -- Angle threshold for plate readability
    OcclusionEnabled = true,               -- Drop lock when target goes behind objects
    OcclusionGracePeriodMs = 3000,         -- Grace period before dropping occluded target
    OcclusionCheckIntervalMs = 150,        -- How often to check occlusion
    OcclusionNearTargetTolerance = 2.0,    -- Tolerance for near-target occlusion checks
}

UI

Config.UI = {
    PilotHUD = {
        Enabled = true,
        Position = "top-right",  -- Pilot HUD position
        ShowStreet = true,       -- Show street name
        ShowHeading = true,      -- Show heading
    },
    TargetLabel = {
        Enabled = true,
        ShowWhenCameraActive = true,   -- Show target label while camera is on
        ShowWhenCameraOff = true,      -- Show target label after camera is off (persistent tracking)
        ShowWhilePersistent = true,    -- Show during persistent tracking
        MaxDistance = 1500.0,          -- Max render distance for labels
        HeightOffsetPed = 1.0,         -- Label height offset for peds
        HeightOffsetVehicle = 1.6,     -- Label height offset for vehicles
        LabelSmoothingSpeed = 12.0,
        Color = {0, 255, 0, 230},      -- RGBA (overridden if FollowHighContrast is true)
        FollowHighContrast = true,     -- Match label color to high contrast theme
    },
    HighContrast = {
        Enabled = true,
        Theme = "green",  -- Options: green, black, orange, red, purple, blue, pink, or hex (e.g. "#FF00FF")
    },
    LRFStatus = "READY",       -- Laser range finder status text shown on HUD
    SystemStatus = "NORM",     -- System status text shown on HUD
}

Vision Modes

Config.Vision = {
    DefaultMode = "normal",                       -- Starting vision mode
    NightVision = { Enabled = true, Intensity = 0.7 },
    Thermal = { Enabled = true },
}

Camera Labels

Per-model and per-livery agency labels displayed on the camera overlay.

Config.CameraLabels = {
    Enabled = true,
    DefaultLabel = "LOS SANTOS POLICE DEPARTMENT",
    ModelLabels = {
        ["polmav"]    = "LOS SANTOS POLICE DEPARTMENT",
        ["gsd11bell"] = "BLAINE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE",
        ["maverick"]  = "SAN ANDREAS STATE POLICE",
    },
    LiveryLabels = {
        ["polmav"] = {
            [0] = "LSPD",
            [1] = "LSPD AIR-2",
            [2] = "VINEWOOD AIR UNIT",
        },
        ["gsd11bell"] = {
            [0] = "SAN ANDREAS STATE TROOPER",
            [1] = "LSPD AIR-2",
            [2] = "VINEWOOD AIR UNIT",
        },
    },
}

Spotlight

Config.Spotlight = {
    Enabled = true,
    SyncWithCamera = true,    -- Spotlight follows camera direction
    Brightness = 10.0,
    Range = 400.0,
    Radius = 10.0,
    Color = {170, 185, 255},  -- RGB
    NetSync = {
        PositionIntervalMs = 150,
        BroadcastIntervalMs = 150,
        MinMoveDistance = 0.25,
        SmoothingSpeed = 12.0,
    },
}

Points of Interest

Config.POI = {
    Enabled = true,
    MaxPOIs = 10,           -- Max active POI markers
    ExpiryTime = 300,       -- POI lifetime in seconds
    SyncToOthers = true,    -- Sync POIs to other players
}

Rappel

Config.Rappel = {
    Enabled = true,
    Keybind = "G",
    MinAltitude = 15,        -- Minimum altitude in feet
    MaxAltitude = 150,       -- Maximum altitude in feet
    AllowedSeats = {1, 2},   -- Seats that can rappel
    SyncEnabled = true,      -- Sync rappel to other players
    AllowedHashes = {},      -- Whitelist specific vehicle hashes (empty = all allowed helicopters)
    DisableHashes = {},      -- Blacklist specific vehicle hashes
}

Helicopter Contro...