Modelling / Texture Art

Hytale provides comprehensive support for 3D modeling and texture art creation, with specialized tools and workflows designed to maintain the game's distinctive visual style while empowering creators.

Current Mod Tooling

Blockbench

Hytale uses Blockbench as the primary tool for 3D modeling and animation:

• Official support: Used for "creating Hytale models, textures, and animations"
• Special plugin: Hytale will have a dedicated Blockbench plugin, to be released ASAP
• Direct compatibility: The plugin allows creators to "create Hytale-compatible models, textures, and animations directly in Blockbench"
• Replaces legacy tools: Fully replaces the old Hytale Model Maker to better support established creative workflows in the community
• Safety features: Only allows you to add things compatible with the engine, so no need to worry about breaking anything

Model Constraints

Geometry Types

The vast majority of models in Hytale are constrained to specific geometric primitives:

3D Elements:

• Blocks
• Cuboids
• Boxes

2D Elements:

• Quads
• Rectangles
• Planes (composed of 2 triangles)

Design Philosophy

These constraints serve multiple purposes:

• Performance optimization: Ensures efficient rendering and game performance
• Consistent art style: Maintains Hytale's distinctive visual aesthetic
• Seamless integration: Makes mods feel more cohesive with the base game

Pixel Density Standards

Hytale uses different pixel densities for different types of content:

Standard Densities

• Blocks: 32px density
• Player models: 64px density
• Mobs: Likely also 64px density
• Player equipment: 64px density (weapons, cosmetics, armor, etc.)

Flexibility

• Wrong density handling: Using incorrect density may cause assets to appear at the wrong size, but will not cause import failures
• No strict restrictions: Pixel ratio, rotation, and scaling are not restricted
• Forgiving system: The tools are designed to be flexible while maintaining compatibility

Hytale Asset Editor

In-Game Editor

The Asset Editor is a comprehensive tool that will ship with the game:

• Ships with game: Available to all players from launch
• External tool requirement: Does not support image editing, you must use external tools for texture creation
• Data asset editing: Primary editor for working with Data Assets
• Expanding capabilities: Currently supports most features, though has limitations around NPCs, worldgen, and interactions that will expand over time

Particle Creation

The Asset Editor includes robust particle creation tools:

• In-game creation: Particles are created directly in-game using the Asset Editor
• Industry standard: Particle logic is robust and similar to Unity/Unreal particle systems
• Event-driven: Particles can be spawned on events or interactions (like opening doors)
• Entity attachment: Can attach particles to entities with specific attachment points
• Dynamic movement: Supports particles moving with their anchor points
• Time delays: Supports time-based particle effects and delays

Materials

Optimization Focus

Hytale takes a different approach to materials compared to other engines:

• Pre-optimized: Materials are very optimized and artists cannot create custom materials
• Performance priority: This constraint ensures consistent performance across all content
• Curated system: Maintains visual consistency while maximizing efficiency

Best Practices

Asset Optimization

Key considerations from Hytale's development team:

• Mindful resource usage: Be conscious of how many blocks/quads you use and texture file sizes
• Avoid bloat: Goal is to prevent unnecessary asset bloat that could impact performance
• Efficiency focus: Balance visual quality with technical constraints

Future Documentation

• Best practice guide: A comprehensive "best practice" guide for art and modeling will be released at some point
• Flexible boundaries: Most creative goals can be achieved without breaking anything in the system
• Community-driven workflows: Tools are designed to support established creative workflows in the modding community

Integration with Development Pipeline

The modeling and texture art workflow integrates seamlessly with Hytale's broader development ecosystem:

• Asset Editor compatibility: Models created in Blockbench work directly with the Hytale Asset Editor
• Data Asset integration: 3D models can be configured and customized through Data Assets
• Visual Scripting support: Models can be controlled and animated through Visual Scripting
• Java plugin extensibility: Advanced model behaviors can be implemented through Java plugins
• Particle integration: Models can have particles attached at specific points for enhanced visual effects

This integrated approach ensures that 3D modeling and texture art aren't isolated creative processes, but core components of Hytale's comprehensive development environment.