BlockyRenderer:Preview

The preview shows a .blockymodel file as a 3D model. It opens beside the JSON text, like the Markdown preview. The preview only shows the model. To change it in 3D, use the Blocky Editor.

A model with its texture in the preview

Opening the preview

• Automatically: when you open a .blockymodel or .blockyanim file in the text editor, the preview opens beside it. Turn this off with blockyRenderer.autoOpenPreview.
• Title bar: the Open Preview to the Side button of the text editor.
• Keyboard: Ctrl+K V opens the preview to the side, Ctrl+Shift+V opens it in the same editor group. On macOS use Cmd instead of Ctrl.
• Explorer: right-click a file and choose Open Preview.

The automatic preview opens only once per file. If you close it, it stays closed until you close and reopen the file. It does not open for files outside the file system, for example the old side of a Git diff. It also does not open if the file already has a Blocky Editor or Blocky Preview tab.

One preview

There is only one preview panel. It follows the active .blockymodel or .blockyanim text editor and the selection in the model browser. The panel title is Preview plus the file name. VS Code restores the panel after a restart.

Live updates

• The preview shows unsaved changes while you type.
• If the JSON is broken for a moment, the last valid state stays on screen and the error is shown at the top, for example JSON error on line 12: ….
• If a script or another program rewrites the model file or a PNG in the model folder, the preview reloads.
• The camera stays where it is when the same model reloads. It is fitted again only when another model is shown.

Toolbar

Control	What it does
Texture	Picks the texture. The list holds all PNG files in the model folder and in <Name>_Textures/, plus (no texture).
Animation	Only in the preview of a model. Plays one of its animations. See Animations.
Model	Only in the preview of an animation. Picks the model it plays on.
Grid	Shows or hides the grid, the outline of one block and the axes at the origin.
Reset View	Fits the camera to the model again.

The camera position, the grid setting and the playback speed are kept per panel.

Texture

A model file does not name its texture. The preview looks in the folder of the model and takes the first match in this order:

1. <Name>_Texture.png
2. <Name>.png
3. any <Name>*.png in the same folder
4. Texture.png
5. any PNG in <Name>_Textures/

<Name> is the file name of the model without .blockymodel. Case does not matter. If nothing matches, the model is drawn without texture, and every node gets its own color based on its name. You can still pick any PNG of the folder in the Texture list. The choice is kept while the panel is open.

Scene

• The grid is 10 × 10 blocks, one block is 32 units.
• A frame shows the size of one block, standing on the origin.
• Lighting is only approximated. Shape, UVs and proportions should be right, the in-game look is not. Only the shading mode fullbright is drawn self-lit.
• Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, right-drag to pan.

Text and 3D are linked

• Cursor in the text: the node at the cursor is outlined in orange in the 3D view, and its pivot is shown as small axes. Children of the node get a fainter outline.
• Click in the 3D view: the name of the clicked node is selected in the text.
• Hover in the 3D view: the status line at the bottom shows the name path of the node, for example Base › Glass.
• The same node is also selected in the Nodes view of the Blocky Renderer Tab.

Empty files

If the model file is empty, the preview shows The file is still empty. and a Start with a Cube button. The button fills the file with a block-sized cube and saves it. See New Models.