Overview & the content pipeline

TiedUp! content is data-driven: most items are described by JSON + 3D assets, no Java required. This zone documents how to author it. Everything here is verified against the mod’s code — where a feature is partial or not yet available, you’ll see a badge.

✅ Available works   ⚠️ Partial caveats   ❌ Planned not yet   🔧 Manual / tool-gap manual step   🖥️ Client / singleplayer only client/SP only

The two-tool pipeline (read this first)

The single most important fact for authoring meshes and animations:

Meshes and animations use DIFFERENT tools

• Meshes (item & furniture models) are exported with Blender’s built-in File → Export → glTF 2.0 (.glb) exporter.
• Animations are exported with the bundled Epic Fight JSON addon (io_scene_minecraft_json).
• The addon does NOT make meshes, and the glTF exporter does NOT make animations. You use both.

Meshes → .glb

Model on the 20-bone biped, weight-paint, export glTF 2.0 (.glb) with Blender’s built-in exporter. The baked texture travels inside the .glb. ✅ Available

Animations → EF-JSON

Author the clip, export with the EF-JSON addon, then hand-add the constructor block (the addon never emits it). 🔧 Manual / tool-gap

What an item is made of

An item spans both halves of your add-on pack — the item definition JSON lives under data/, and its visuals & audio (the .glb mesh, EF-JSON animations, inventory icon, lang, and referenced sounds) live under assets/. Both halves sit in your one add-on folder; see Packaging for the full structure.

data/<ns>/tiedup_items/<item>.json            ← the item definition
assets/<ns>/models/gltf/<category>/<item>.glb ← the mesh (baked texture inside)
assets/<ns>/animmodels/animations/<clip>.json ← EF-JSON animation clips
assets/<ns>/models/item/<icon>.json           ← inventory icon model
assets/<ns>/lang/en_us.json                    ← display name / translations

Tip

The model path uses models/gltf/<category>/.

Pipeline at a glance

1. Model the item on the 20-bone EF biped, starting from the official rig.
2. Weight-paint to the relevant bones (respecting the vertex/bone limit).
3. Export the mesh as .glb (Blender built-in glTF exporter) into models/gltf/<category>/.
4. (optional) Animate and export EF-JSON, then hand-add the constructor block.
5. Describe the item in a tiedup_items/<item>.json definition.
6. Add an inventory icon, a lang entry, and (optional) equip/unequip sound references.
7. /reload in-game and verify.

See Tools & setup to get Blender + the rig + the addon ready, then walk Your First Item end-to-end.

What’s NOT moddable (yet)

Be aware up front — these are documented on the Planned / Not yet page:

• Pets and OBJ models are code-only (hardcoded paths). ❌ Planned
• Custom (non-biped) armatures load but nothing renders them. ❌ Planned
• New movement styles and new sound events can’t be defined from a datapack. ❌ Planned
• Server-side animation effects (damage/effect/sound) only fire in singleplayer. 🖥️ Client / singleplayer only