Maintenance script: PrefabRenderer wiki

2026-10-20T21:29:30Z

PrefabRenderer wiki

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To draw a block, Prefab Renderer needs its item definition, its textures and, for model blocks, its <code>.blockymodel</code> file. It looks for them in one or more '''asset sources'''. Each source has the Hytale asset layout:
<pre>
Server/Item/Items/... item and block definitions (*.json)
Common/... textures (*.png) and models (*.blockymodel)
</pre>

== The three kinds of sources ==
=== Vanilla assets: Assets.zip ===
The vanilla blocks come from the <code>Assets.zip</code> that the Hytale launcher installs. The path is set with <code>hytalePrefabViewer.assetsZip</code>.
* The archive is read in place. It is never extracted and nothing is copied.
* When it is opened, only its table of contents is read. After that the extension reads single files as a prefab needs them.
* The archive stays open and is shared by all 3D views until the assets are reloaded.
* The default path is the location of the Flatpak launcher on Linux. On other systems, set the path yourself.

=== Detected mod folder ===
With <code>hytalePrefabViewer.detectAssetFolder</code> on (the default), the extension walks up from the folder of the opened prefab and uses the nearest folder that contains <code>Server/Item/Items</code>. For a mod checkout this is usually <code>src/main/resources</code>, so a prefab in <code>src/main/resources/Server/Prefabs/...</code> picks up the mod's own blocks without any configuration.

Detection only works for files on the local file system.

=== Configured asset folders ===
<code>hytalePrefabViewer.assetFolders</code> is a list of extra asset folders, for example the resources folder of another mod your prefab uses. Use it when the prefab does not lie inside the mod's resources folder:
<pre>
"hytalePrefabViewer.assetFolders": ["/home/me/code/repos/BetterBiomes/src/main/resources"]
</pre>

== Search order ==
For every file the sources are searched in this order. The first source that has the file wins:
# the detected mod folder
# the configured asset folders, in the order of the list
# <code>Assets.zip</code>

So a mod folder can override a vanilla block or texture, and a mod block can still use vanilla textures and models. The order used by a view is shown under ''Asset sources'' in the sidebar.

== Paths ==
* <code>~</code> at the start of a path is replaced with your home folder.
* A relative path is resolved against the '''first''' workspace folder.
* If <code>hytalePrefabViewer.assetsZip</code> is empty, the default path is used.
* Empty entries in <code>hytalePrefabViewer.assetFolders</code> are ignored.

If a configured folder does not exist, the sidebar shows the warning ''Asset folder not found''. If <code>Assets.zip</code> cannot be opened, it shows ''Vanilla assets not available'' with the reason. The view still renders: blocks that cannot be found are drawn magenta.

== Caching and reloading ==
Item definitions, models and textures are cached. The list of item files in a mod folder is also built once. This makes repeated renders fast, but it also means that changes to the asset files themselves are not picked up on their own.

* After you change textures, models or block definitions in a mod folder, or add new block files, press ''Reload assets'' in the sidebar.
* Changing one of the extension's settings has the same effect: all caches are dropped and every open 3D view is redrawn.
* Edits to the '''prefab''' are always shown live. They do not need a reload.

== Supported archives ==
The built-in zip reader handles stored and deflate-compressed entries and ZIP64 archives, which covers the launcher's <code>Assets.zip</code>. Other compression methods cause an error for that file.

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Maintenance script: PrefabRenderer wiki