Welcome back! By now, you've probably created a few models of your own and gotten some solid practice in. Now, you may have noticed a small tab labeled "Display" located next to the Paint one. That’s precisely what this guide is all about! We'll walk through how to correctly position your model in game and how to preview of your work to share it with other players.
If you plan to apply for the SchoolRP Media team, this is a guide you will not want to miss!
If you plan to apply for the SchoolRP Media team, this is a guide you will not want to miss!
Model Positioning: the "Display" tab
Though you have probably made multiple models in the past, you might've wondered how they actually show up in game. For example, when we made the tea cup in the texturing guide, you might've asked yourself questions such as...
- How big will this look in game?
- Can it go ontop of the head?
- Will it no-clip into the player's hand?
When modellers want to add items into Minecraft: Java Edition, this is the page they use to determine how a model appears in different in-game display contexts. Each display determines the item’s position, rotation, and size depending on where and how it’s being viewed. What's more, each of these display settings is completely independent, meaning they can all be adjusted to look different from one another.
With this in mind, you could, for example, make it so your sword is held facing forward in your main hand, and display it in a reverse grip in your off hand. By default, every model can have separate display settings for each of the following situations:
Main Hand | 
| Off Hand | 
|
First-person view (Main Hand) | 
| First-person view (Off Hand) | 
|
Head | 
| Dropped Item | 
|
Item Frame | 
| Inventory (GUI) | 
|
* You may have noticed a tab labeled "Shelf". This tab isn't typically used by modelers, and SchoolRP doesn't assign any special properties to it. Thus, you can just ignore it for the time being.
Modifying your model's position
Now that you know all the ways a model can be displayed in game, let's get to actually changing up the values! To do this, we will use the teacup model we made in the previous guide. Ready? Let's go!
Now that you know all the ways a model can be displayed in game, let's get to actually changing up the values! To do this, we will use the teacup model we made in the previous guide. Ready? Let's go!
| Step Description | Visual Showcase |
|---|---|
| 1. Locate the Display tab First thing's first, let's go to the Display tab! You can open it by going to the top right corner of your screen and clicking on the "Display" button. Once you do this, you'll see your model on your avatar's main hand. As you might've noticed, the tea cup looks... wrong. It is way too big, and it isn't even held properly. Let's change that up in the next step! | |
| 2. Resize your model Before you begin moving your model, let's make the cup smaller! To do this, follow the instructions of the video:
| |
| 3. Move and rotate your model Now that your model isn't commically oversized, it's time to move it! To do so, use the arrows on the actual avatar display to move to your liking. Similarly, you can also switch to the "Rotate" mode by pressing the R key. This will pop up a set of lines forming a sphere-like shape around the model. Try moving these around in a similar way to the video. The main objective here is to make the avatar hold the tea cup in a "normal" way, while also preventing the tea liquid from spilling! | |
| 4. Rinse and repeat! You can use the previous steps in all the other display modes. TIP - If you want a model to look the same in both hands, you can copy the main hand display settings to the off hand like this:
|
Feel free to experiment with all these tools! However, do note that there are some style-related guidelines you should follow when determining the positioning of your model, especially on SchoolRP:
- Main/Off Hand (Third Person); make sure the model is attached to the player’s hand. It’s best to have the model face toward the player's avatar, not away, so it looks like the player is naturally holding it with their fingers.
- Main/Off Hand (First Person); ensure that the model is partially hidden by the black outline; otherwise, it will appear to be floating instead of held off-screen. Also, have the model face the camera, unless it’s a weapon or item meant to be pointed outward. This will make it easier for the player to recognize what they're actually holding
- Head; this display should only be modified if you're working with hats. In these cases, try to make the display scale be 1.6* the size of the third-person main hand. For example, if your main hand model's scale is 0.5, your head display would be 0.5*1.6 = 0.8
- Dropped Item; in this display, make sure the model is not too big, and that it doesn't go outside of the boundaries of the white base block underneath (this doesn't apply to long items such as katanas, naginatas, etc.), and that your model doesn't go underground while spinning on the floor.
- Item Frame; you'll only work with this display when making furniture. In these cases, make sure you use the invisible item frame sub-mode. Moreover, when scaling them, it's best to work with multiples of 0.25, preferably on a 2.0 scale to ensure that the pixel size remains consistent.
- Inventory GUI; finally, when viewed in the inventory, your model shouldn't go beyond the boundaries of their slot. Moreover, to make it as recognizeable as possible, try to tilt your model to the right so it's viewed diagonally.
Showcasing your work!
When sharing your work, you've probably used the screenshot key on your keyboard. While it technically gets the job done, Blockbench has tools to properly share your model's preview. Let's have a look at them!
| Changing your base avatar If you have purchased a custom item before, you've probably seen your modeller use your skin when showing you how the model looks like when held/worn on the head. The way they do this is really simple:
| |
| Screenshotting your model A really easy way to take a screenshot of your model is by using the in-built tool for it. To do so, follow these simple steps:
| |
| Generating a 360º GIF For more complex models, you may want to show all perspectives for it! To address this demand, Blockbench offers an option to record a GIF of your model:
|
You've reached the end!
Good job! Now you know how to share your models with your friends and (possible) customers! This guide is relatively simple, but it will definitely come in handy if you want to share your models' preview and create your own 3D portfolio if you'd like to apply for the Media Team. Anyhow, if you're ready, head on to the next guide to take your geometry to the next level!
- Creating your first model!
- Texturing style & palettes
- Displaying & showcasing your model [You are here!]
- Model geometry & flat textures [WIP]
As always, feel free to share your creations in the reply section of this thread!
