Blockbench, a 3D model editor with Pixel Art textures

about Blockbench

In the next article we are going to take a look at Blockbench. This is a free, open source, 3D square model editor which can be found available for Gnu / Linux, Windows and MacOS. This program is a modern 3D model editor, for square models with textures of Pixel Art. These can be exported to standardized formats, to be shared, rendered, 3D printed or used in game engines. In addition there are several dedicated formats for Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition, with format-specific features.

Blockbench presents itself to the user with a modern and intuitive user interface, with plugin compatibility and innovative features. It is the industry standard for creating custom 3D models for Minecraft Marketplace.

Blockbench general features

Blockbench preferences

  • Blockbench makes all the tools available to the user so that the process of low-poly modeling keep it as simple as possible. We can use cuboids to obtain that Minecraft aesthetic, or create complex shapes with the mesh modeling tools.
  • We can translate the program's interface into different languages, among which is Spanish.

blockbench paint option

  • We will have texturing tools. With them we can create, edit and paint textures directly within the program. Blockbench will allow us to paint directly on the model in 3D space, use the 2D texture editor or connect our favorite external image editor or Pixel Art software.

animation with blockbench

  • This program will allow us to use its powerful animation editor. These animations can later be exported to Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, rendered in Blender or Maya, or shared on Sketchfab. You can see some animations created with Blockbench in the following link.

blockbench running

  • We can also customize Blockbench with the add-ons available in the built-in store. Plugins add new tools, support for new export formats or model generators. We can also create our own plugin to extend Blockbench. You can see the plugins available for Blockbench in the following link.
  • Is a free and open source program. Blockbench is free to use for any type of project. The project is open source under the GPL license, and its source code is available on your GitHub repository.
  • How to Live Aligned with minimum hardware requirements we will need; Windows 7 or newer, macOS 10.10 Yosemite or newer, Ubuntu 12.04, Debian 8, Fedora 21 or newer. 1 GB of storage space. 1 GB of RAM and a 1280 x 720 screen.

Install Blockbench on Ubuntu

Through Deb

It can download Blockbench in .deb file format from the download section on the project website. In addition to using the web browser to download the package, we can also use the terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) to download the latest version published today:

download program deb package

wget -O Blockbench.deb https://github.com/JannisX11/blockbench/releases/download/v4.0.3/Blockbench_4.0.3.deb

When the download is finished, we only have install the program. To do this, in the same terminal it is only necessary to launch the command:

install deb package

sudo apt install ./Blockbench.deb

After installation, there is only start the program looking for your launcher in our system.

blockbench launcher

uninstall

This program, installed as a .deb package, can be remove from our system using in the terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) the command:

uninstall with apt

sudo apt remove blockbench

Via Flatpak

We will also have the possibility of install this program using its Flatpak package, which can be found at Flatub. If you use Ubuntu 20.04 and do not have this technology enabled on your system, you can continue The Guide that a colleague wrote on this blog.

When you can install this type of package on your computer, all that remains is to open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and run the install command:

install program like flatpak

flatpak install flathub net.blockbench.Blockbench

For start the program, it will be necessary to search for the launcher on our computer, or execute the command in the terminal:

flatpak run net.blockbench.Blockbench

uninstall

This program can be uninstall from system In a simple way. It is only necessary to open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and execute in it:

uninstall flatpak program

flatpak uninstall net.blockbench.Blockbench

As AppImage

In addition to the two previous options, Blockbench can also be available on our computer using its AppImage package. This AppImage file can be download from website of the project, but in addition we will also have the possibility of downloading the latest version published today, opening a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and executing wget as follows:

download program as appimage

wget https://github.com/JannisX11/blockbench/releases/download/v4.0.3/Blockbench_4.0.3.AppImage

When the download is finished, it will be necessary for us to move to the folder in which we have saved the file. Once in it, we will give execute permissions to the file with the command:

sudo chmod +x Blockbench_4.0.3.AppImage

After the previous command, it will already be possible start the program by double clicking on the file, or we will also have the possibility of executing it with the command:

start as appimage

./Blockbench_4.0.3.AppImage

In addition to all these installation possibilities in our equipment, this project also offers the possibility of use the program from the web browser.

For more information about this program and how it works, users can consult the project website, its Wiki, or up repository on GitHub.


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