Resource packs

The resource-pack half of the format — 8 asset types covering 7,351 vanilla files, with field tables inferred from the game’s own assets.

Overview

A resource pack and a data pack share pack.mcmeta and the same namespaced-id conventions, but they populate different trees: data packs write data/, resource packs write assets/. Both can ship in the same folder, which is how most "one download" creations are distributed. See Pack structure for the shared skeleton and pack_format history for the version numbers — note that resource packs carry their own pack_format, which advances on a different schedule to the data-pack one.

block_definition 1.8+

Blockstate definitions: which model to render for each block-state combination, with rotation and weighting. This is the file a resource pack edits to repoint a block at a custom model.

Vanilla ships 1,288 block_definition files, at assets/<namespace>/blockstates/.

Vanilla example

assets/minecraft/blockstates/acacia_button.json

{
  "variants": {
    "face=ceiling,facing=east,powered=false": {
      "model": "minecraft:block/acacia_button",
      "x": 180,
      "y": 270
    },
    "face=ceiling,facing=east,powered=true": {
      "model": "minecraft:block/acacia_button_pressed",
      "x": 180,
      "y": 270
    },
    "face=ceiling,facing=north,powered=false": {
      "model": "minecraft:block/acacia_button",
      "x": 180,
      "y": 180
    },
    "face=ceiling,facing=north,powered=true": {
      "model": "minecraft:block/acacia_button_pressed",
      "x": 180,
      "y": 180
    },
    "face=ceiling,facing=south,powered=false": {
      "model": "minecraft:block/acacia_button",
      "x": 180
    },
    "face=ceiling,facing=south,powered=true": {
      "model": "minecraft:block/acacia_button_pressed",
      "x": 180
    },
    "face=ceiling,facing=west,powered=false": {
      "model": "minecraft:block/acacia_button",
      "x": 180,
      "y": 90
    },
    "face=ceiling,facing=west,powered=true": {
      "model": "minecraft:block/acacia_button_pressed",
      "x": 180,
      "y": 90
    },
    "face=floor,facing=east,powered=false": {
      "model": "minecraft:block/acacia_button",
      "y": 90
    },
    "face=floor,facing=east,powered=true": {
      "model": "minecraft:block/acacia_button_pressed",
      "y": 90
    },
    "face=floor,facing=north,powered=false": {
      "model": "minecraft:block/acacia_button"
    },
    "face=floor,facing=north,powered=true": {
      "model": "minecraft:block/acacia_button_pressed"
    },
    "face=floor,facing=south,powered=false": {
      "model": "min
  ... (truncated)

item_definition 1.21.4+

Item model definitions: the 1.21.4+ replacement for item model overrides, selecting a model from item state. Custom item models moved here from model overrides — the single biggest recent resource-pack change.

Vanilla ships 1,658 item_definition files, at assets/<namespace>/items/.

Vanilla example

assets/minecraft/items/abandoned_camp_map.json

{
  "model": {
    "type": "minecraft:model",
    "model": "minecraft:item/abandoned_camp_map"
  }
}

model 1.8+

Block and item models: elements, faces, textures, display transforms and parents. The geometry layer. Everything visual bottoms out here.

Vanilla ships 4,192 model files, at assets/<namespace>/models/.

Vanilla example

assets/minecraft/models/block/acacia_button.json

{
  "parent": "minecraft:block/button",
  "textures": {
    "texture": "minecraft:block/acacia_planks"
  }
}

atlas 1.19.3+

Texture atlas sources: which textures get stitched into which atlas. Needed when adding textures that must be usable by models at runtime.

Vanilla ships 12 atlas files, at assets/<namespace>/atlases/.

Vanilla example

assets/minecraft/atlases/banner_patterns.json

{
  "sources": [
    {
      "type": "minecraft:directory",
      "prefix": "entity/banner/",
      "source": "entity/banner"
    }
  ]
}

equipment 1.21.2+

Equipment models: how armour and other worn equipment layers render on entities. Replaced the old hardcoded armour layer texture convention.

Vanilla ships 45 equipment files, at assets/<namespace>/equipment/.

Vanilla example

assets/minecraft/equipment/armadillo_scute.json

{
  "layers": {
    "wolf_body": [
      {
        "texture": "minecraft:armadillo_scute"
      },
      {
        "dyeable": {},
        "texture": "minecraft:armadillo_scute_overlay"
      }
    ]
  }
}

font 1.13+

Font definitions: bitmap, TTF and space providers, plus glyph mapping. Underpins custom glyphs, icon fonts and negative-space GUI tricks.

Vanilla ships 8 font files, at assets/<namespace>/font/.

Vanilla example

assets/minecraft/font/alt.json

{
  "providers": [
    {
      "type": "reference",
      "id": "minecraft:include/space"
    },
    {
      "type": "bitmap",
      "file": "minecraft:font/ascii_sga.png",
      "ascent": 7,
      "chars": [
        "\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO",
        "PQRSTUVWXYZ\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000abcdefghijklmno",
        "pqrstuvwxyz\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000",
        "\u0000\u0000\u0000\u00
  ... (truncated)

lang 1.6+

Language files: translation key to string. Every translate text component resolves through these.

Vanilla ships 143 lang files, at assets/<namespace>/lang/.