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Advanced Block Definitions
Dynmap supports a data-driven method for defining support for new Minecraft Blocks, which may be used to support customized block types, such as those provided via certain plugins and client modifications. These definitions are VERY sensitive to the internal implementation of the Dynmap ray tracer, and may change or become obsolete on future releases with little or no notice - when practical, this will be avoided, but do understand this before investing too heavily in this.
The rendering of blocks in Dynmap is primarily done by tracing rays into the map, until a block's surface is intersected by the ray. Each time a ray intersects a block, Dynmap looks to see if there is a model corresponding to the block ID and data value. If the block is a solid block, no model is used. If the block is some other shape, the model is used to further trace the ray within the block - either resulting in an intersection with the model or the ray continuing through to the next block on its path. This process is driven by the HD perspective, and is common for all HD maps.
When a ray is found to have intersected with a block (or with the model representing the block), the coloring of the surface is based on the HD shader associated with the map. If the shader is based on using Minecraft textures, the coloring of the intersecting ray is based on a mapping of the data from the texture pack associated with the shader, as described by a texture mapping. The texture mapping describes which part of the images included in the texture pack to use, and any processing or transforms needed to determine the appearance of those images.
The way models are currently provided for the HD perspective module is via the internal resource file, models.txt (which can be found in the source code at https://github.com/webbukkit/dynmap/blob/master/src/main/resources/models.txt). Additional models, or replacements for existing models, can be provided by the custom-models.txt file, which is found in the renderdata directory. By default the renderdata directory does not exist, and must be created under the plugins/dynmap directory. Both of these files have the same format.
The files are line oriented, and can include comment lines (that start with '#'). Each block definition starts with line formatted as follows:
block:id=N,data=D,scale=X
Where:
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id defines the block ID of the block being modeled. There must be at least one id=N attribute, but there may be as many as are needed (different block often share the same shaped model).
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data defines the value of the block data for the block being modeled. There must be at least one data=D attribute, where D can be '*' (meaning all data values - 0-15) or any value from 0 to 15. There can be as many as are needed. Note: for certain, special case block types, an additional data value (called the render data) is generated and used in preference to the normal data value. Currently, the special case blocks are those where the block ID and data are insufficient to select the model - chests, redstone wire, and fences.
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scale defines the scale of the grid of 'sub-blocks' composing the volume of the block. A scale of X implies that the model for the block is being described relative to an X by X by X grid of cells. X must be at least 2.
After the block line, the model can be described in one of two ways: either by describing the layers of cells that compose the block, or by referring to another model and describing a transformation to be applied to that model.
To describe the model directly, the block line is followed by one or more sets of layers. These layers describe the cross-sections of the block, starting from the bottom (layer 0) to the top (layer X-1). Each layer is described by X lines, each containing X characters. The first line of a given layer is the northern edge of the block, while the last line is the southern edge. The first character of each line corresponds to the western edge of the block, and the last represents the eastern edge. Each layer definition is formatted as follows:
layer:A,B,C,D,...
----
-**-
-**-
----
Where:
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A,B,C,D,... represents the one or more layer numbers described by the definition (this allows a given cross-section to be used more than once in the same model). There must always be at least one layer number, with 0 representing the bottom layer of the model, and (X-1) (for a scale: X model) representing the top.
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Exactly X lines follow the layer tag, with exactly X characters for each line. These define a grid representing the cells of the layer of the model (X by X), with the first line representing the north edge, the last representing the south edge, the first column representing the west edge, and the last column representing the east edge. If a given character is '*', the cell is considered 'full'. Otherwise, the cell is considered 'empty' (a '-' is used for these characters, by default). The example shown above is representative of a scale: 4 model.
Any layers that are not defined are assumed to be all empty.
Alternately, the model can be defined by referring to another model, and describing a transform (specifically, a rotation about the vertical axis). This is done with the rotate tag, as shown below:
rotate:id=B,data=D,rot=R
Where:
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id is the ID of the block definition being replicated. This is required, and there can only be one value.
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data is the block data value of the block definition being replicated. This is required and must be one value.
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rot defines the degrees of rotation around the vertical axis of the model. 90 causes the new model to be the same as the replicated model after rotating 90 degrees clockwise. 180 represents a 180 degree clockwise rotation. 270 represents a 270 degree clockwise (or 90 degree counter-clockwise) rotation.
Note: the scale of a block defined using the rotate tag MUST match the scale of the block model that is being copied and transformed.
When texture packs are being used to color the blocks found in the map, it is necessary to describe the mapping of graphical data from the resources within the texture pack to the corresponding surfaces or faces of the blocks. This mapping is done by the texture mappings found in the texture.txt internal resource file (this file can be found in the source code at https://github.com/webbukkit/dynmap/blob/master/src/main/resources/texture.txt). Additional or custom texture mappings can be defined in the custom-texture.txt file, which can be found in the renderdata directory. By default the renderdata directory does not exist, and must be created under the plugins/dynmap directory. The format of both files is the same.
As with the models.txt file, the texture files can include comments, marked by a '#' character. Each mapping is defined by a single line, formatted as follows:
block:id=V,data=D,_faceid_=_textureval_,_faceid_=_textureval_,....
Where:
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id is the block ID associated with the texture mapping. There must be at least one id=V value provided.
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data is the block data value associated with the texture mapping. If no data=D value is provided, data=* is assumed (all data values). More than one data value can be provided.
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faceid defines the mapping of one or more faces of the block to a specific resource in the texture map, sometimes with a modifier. The valid values for the faceid include:
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top - the top face of the block
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bottom - the bottom face of the block
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north - the north face of the block
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south - the south face of the block
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east - the east face of the block
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west - the west face of the block
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allsides - all sides of the block (north, south, east, west)
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allfaces - all faces of the block (all sides, plus top and bottom)
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textureval defines the resource used for the face. Defined values include:
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0 to 255 : The index of the patch within terrain.png, with 0 being the first texture on the first row, 16 being the first on the second row, etc.
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-1 : clear or transparent (no texture)
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257 : the texture for stationary water (either from custom_water_still.png, or misc/water.png)
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258 : the texture for flowing water (either from custom_water_flowing.png, or misc/water.png)
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259 : the texture for stationary lava (either from custom_lava_still.png, or from terrain.png)
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260 : the texture for flowing lava (either from custom_lava_flowing.png, or from terrain.png)
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261 : the texture for the side of a piston extension (built from the piston block side texture)
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262 : the texture for the side of a piston that is extended (build from piston block side)
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textureval can also have a modifier function applied by adding one of the following values to the value encoded:
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1000 : the texture should be tinted using the biome-based coloring from misc/grasscolor.png
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2000 : the texture should be tinted using the biome-based coloring from misc/foliagecolor.png
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4000 : the texture should be rotate 90 degrees clockwise
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5000 : the texture should be rotated 180 degrees clockwise
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6000 : the texture should be rotated 270 degrees clockwise (90 degrees counter-clockwise)
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7000 : the texture should be flipped horizontally (mirror image around vertical axis)
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8000 : the texture should be shifted downward by 50% of its height
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9000 : the texture should be shifted downward by 50% of its height, and flipped horizontally
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10000 : the texture should be transformed to be used on an inclined torch (special case)
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11000 : the texture is a grass block side (special case for biome tinting and coloring due to snow)
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12000 : the texture is transparent when it represents an interior surface next to another block of the same type (interior of glass or water, for example)
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For the special case blocks that have render data generated, an additional attribute can be defined:
- userenderdata : if defined and set to true, the generated render data value for the block is used for selecting the matching textures, instead of the block data value. At present, this is only applicable to the redstone wire, chest, and fence blocks (and is only used by the first two).