Blockbench is a program that makes it easier for players to model, texture and animate 3D block-based models for use in Minecraft. It is widely popular among modders and developers as its various features allow for the easy creation of Minecraft mobs – as well as being used by Mojang themselves to produce some elements and entities within the game like goats and axolotls!
At the core of every block-based texture is its tiling – that means every part can be seen clearly when placed next to similar portions on another texture. Therefore, it is often necessary to do a comprehensive check of tiling before proceeding with shading techniques. Blockbench provides several tools to assist this process, such as its “Copy Paste Tool” that lets users copy and paste parts of textures or its “Paint Mode”, which enables users to either directly create new textures themselves or use an external image editor live 3D preview of an external image editor’s live 3D preview mode.
Use of the “Vertex Snap” feature found in the Main Toolbar can help alleviate tiling issues. This function shifts vertices of an element so they align correctly without gaps or overlaps; especially useful when creating large surfaces such as walls or floors.
Blockbench can also help create the UV maps and templates needed to apply textures to models. These coordinates tell Blockbench where each pixel of texture should be located on the model and how it should be applied; editing these can either be completed manually by hand or automatically through its tools.
Blockbench makes creating pixel art styles a snap by offering the ability to draw in 2-D, or connect external software like Paint 3D with it, using its customized tools that offer size, opacity and softness options for its pixel tools – or mirror pixels so they face away from viewers when creating models with back facing textures.
As soon as a model is finished, it can be saved as a file in different formats to optimize for various platforms, including PCs, phones and tablets. This ensures its quality remains high on each of them – ready to be exported into pre-existing packs or created as add-Ons for existing games.
Blockbench now offers the Minecraft Entity Wizard plugin, designed specifically to make creating custom mobs from scratch easier and reduce common errors. The step-by-step wizard walks users through creating their new mob. A great solution for new mob creators! Downloadable from its official website for the program.