Adding and Customizing Item Animations

Adding and Customizing Item Animations

This guide explains how to use Blockbench to create a custom model and eating animation for an item.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, prepare the following tools and resources:

• Blockbench version 5.0 or later
• The following Blockbench plugins:
  • Geckolib Models & Animations
  • Camera
• An item-animation template: download basic_model_empty.bbmodel

Install the Blockbench Plugins

1. Open Blockbench.
2. Open the plugin manager from the top menu.
3. Search for and install Geckolib Models & Animations.
4. Search for and install Camera.
5. Restart Blockbench after installation to ensure both plugins are active.

Get the Template

Download basic_model_empty.bbmodel, then open it in Blockbench.

The template includes the basic structure required for item animations. You can now modify and extend it to suit your item model, texture, and animation.

Camera View

The camera view included in the template is approximately equivalent to Steve's first-person view in Minecraft, so it can be used to preview how the item will appear in-game.

Keep in mind:

Changes to the camera view in Blockbench cannot be applied in-game. The camera is only used for previewing your model and animation while creating them.

Create an Animation

Once the model and camera are ready, create the item animation.

The animation name must be:

eat

The mod uses this exact name to identify the item's eating animation. Make sure the spelling and capitalization match exactly.