BlockFrame 🔗

BlockFrame is a powerful Minetest / Mineclonia building tool that lets you preview, transform, precisely place, and visually edit blocks or items before confirming them in the world.

It is designed for:

• Detailed building
• Complex structures
• Scaling experiments
• Precise positioning
• Advanced world editing

Core Features 🔗

• Real-time preview using entities (wielditem)
• Custom scaling (size)
• Rotation in degrees on X, Y, Z axes (rotate)
• Axis-based mirroring (mirror)
• Adjustable grid snapping (step)
• Absolute or relative positioning (pos)
• Optional collision control
• Composite structures (save & load)
• Undo system
  • /blockframe_undo
  • /blockframe_undo_apply
  • /blockframe_del_undo
• Delete & restore system
• Works with any item
• Remembers last used item
• Persistent transformation data
• Interactive in-world visual gizmo editor

Interactive Gizmo System 🔗

BlockFrame includes a visual in-world transformation editor similar to professional 3D tools.

Behavior 🔗

• /blockframe_gizmos shows only Center gizmos
• Clicking a Center opens:
  • Move (X, Y, Z)
  • Rotate (X, Y, Z)
  • Scale (X, Y, Z)
• Clicking another BlockFrame Center automatically closes the previous one
• Running /blockframe_gizmos again removes ALL gizmos (including centers)
• Transformations persist after world reload

Gizmo Controls 🔗

Move 🔗

• Left click → increase axis
• Right click → decrease axis

Rotate 🔗

• Left click → increase angle
• Right click → decrease angle

Scale 🔗

• Left click → increase size
• Right click → decrease size

All values use the dynamic step system.

Dynamic Step System 🔗

BlockFrame supports fully dynamic step control per object.

The step value controls:

• Movement increment
• Rotation increment (degrees)
• Scaling increment

Global Step 🔗

/blockframe_gizmos step=5

Applies to nearby BlockFrame objects:

• Move → 5 units
• Rotate → 5°
• Scale → 5 units

Separate Step Control 🔗

/blockframe_gizmos step.move=0.25 /blockframe_gizmos step.rotate=10 /blockframe_gizmos step.scale=0.1

Example:

/blockframe_gizmos step.move=0.5 /blockframe_gizmos step.rotate=5 /blockframe_gizmos step.scale=0.05

Step values are stored per object and persist.

Commands 🔗

/blockframe <args> 🔗

Creates or updates a single preview of the wielded item.

Available arguments 🔗

• size=x,y,z — Item scale
  • 1 value → x=y=z
  • 2 values → x, y=z
• rotate=x,y,z — Rotation in degrees
• mirror=x|y|z — Axis mirroring
• pos=x,y,z — Position offset
• step=value — Grid snapping and gizmo step
• collision=true|false — Enable collision
• node=true|false
  • true → shows as node
  • false → shows as wielditem

Examples 🔗

/blockframe size=0.5 /blockframe size=1,0.5 rotate=0,90,0 /blockframe mirror=x rotate=45 /blockframe pos=0,1,0 step=0.25

/blockframe_set 🔗

Confirms the active preview and places the block(s) in the world.

/blockframe_cancel 🔗

Cancels the active preview.

/blockframe_undo 🔗

Removes the last block placed using BlockFrame.

/blockframe_del [radius=N] 🔗

Deletes placed BlockFrame blocks in a radius.

Example:

/blockframe_del radius=3

/blockframe_del_undo 🔗

Restores blocks removed by the last delete.

/blockframe_save <name> [radius=N] 🔗

Saves a composite structure to a .bf file.

Example:

/blockframe_save my_house radius=10

/blockframe_load <name> [args] 🔗

Loads a saved structure as a composite preview.

Accepted global args:

• size
• rotate
• mirror
• pos
• step
• collision

Example:

/blockframe_load my_house size=2 rotate=0,90,0

/blockframe_gizmos 🔗

Toggles the visual transformation system.

Also supports dynamic step configuration:

/blockframe_gizmos step=5 /blockframe_gizmos step.move=0.25 /blockframe_gizmos step.rotate=10 /blockframe_gizmos step.scale=0.1

/blockframe_help 🔗

Displays in-game help.

Import / Export .bf Files 🔗

When using:

/blockframe_save NAME

The file NAME.bf is saved in:

worlds/WORLDNAME/

You can:

• Share it
• Edit it
• Download structures from others

To load:

/blockframe_load NAME

Persistence System 🔗

BlockFrame stores:

• Rotation
• Scale
• Position offsets
• Step configuration

Using:

• get_staticdata()
• on_activate()

Transformations survive:

• Server restarts
• World reloads
• Entity reactivation

File Structure 🔗

blockframe/ ├── init.lua ├── gizmo.lua ├── README.md └── LICENSE.txt

Installation 🔗

1. Place blockframe inside your mods/ directory.
2. Enable it in world settings.
3. Start the world.
4. Use /blockframe_help.

License 🔗

Distributed under:

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 (CC BY 3.0)

You may:

• Use
• Modify
• Redistribute
• Use commercially

As long as credit is given.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Designed For 🔗

• Advanced builders
• Map creators
• Technical servers
• Creative experimentation
• Structural prototyping