icaoberg / BlockBench: Making Minecraft Skins and Models

Created Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Modified Sat, 16 May 2026 01:53:11 -0400
377 Words
minecraft blockbench 3d-modeling gaming creative

BlockBench

BlockBench is a free, open-source 3D modeling application designed specifically for Minecraft. Whether you want to create a custom skin, design a new item model, or build a fully animated entity for a resource pack or mod, BlockBench is the standard tool for the job.

What You Can Make

  • Skins — 64×64 pixel character skins compatible with Java and Bedrock editions
  • Java block/item models — .json models used in resource packs
  • Bedrock entity models — geometry files for mobs and custom entities
  • Generic models — for use in mods, plugins, or external renderers

Key Features

  • Pixel-perfect UV editor — paint directly on the model or edit the flat texture map side by side
  • Animation editor — keyframe-based animations for bones, with export to Bedrock .animation.json or Java mod formats
  • Plugins — an active plugin ecosystem adds exporters for Fabric, Forge, and other targets
  • Web and desktop — runs in the browser at web.blockbench.net or as a desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Getting Started with a Skin

  1. Open BlockBench and choose Minecraft Skin from the start screen.
  2. The default Steve/Alex template loads with the UV map pre-configured.
  3. Select the Paint tool and choose a color — click on the 3D model or the flat texture to fill pixels.
  4. Use File → Export → Export Minecraft Skin to save a .png ready to upload at minecraft.net.

Getting Started with a Java Block Model

  1. Choose Java Block/Item at the start screen.
  2. Add cubes with the +Cube button and position them using the move/resize gizmos.
  3. Open the UV editor to assign texture faces, then import your texture PNG.
  4. Export as .json and drop it into your resource pack under assets/<namespace>/models/.

Tips

  • Hold Shift while scaling a cube to scale uniformly.
  • The Outliner panel on the right lets you group bones — essential for animations.
  • Use Edit → Optimize Model before exporting to strip redundant faces and reduce file size.
  • The BlockBench wiki and the active Discord community are the best places to get unstuck.

BlockBench has a shallow learning curve for simple skins but enough depth to build fully rigged, animated mobs. If you have ever wanted to put a custom look into Minecraft without learning a general-purpose tool like Blender, it is the fastest path from idea to in-game result.