These are the Shape (5), Brush (6) and Fill (7) tools of the Block brush mode. Patterns that mix several blocks by ratio, and Replace blocks, which replaces found blocks with a pattern, are also here.
| Method | Action |
|---|
| 5 · 6 · 7 | Shape · Brush · Fill tool |
| Tools panel | Shape 5 · Brush 6 · Fill 7 in the Block brush mode |
When you choose a tool, the Tools panel shows that tool’s settings group (Shape, Brush or Fill) together with the Block state, Pattern and Replace blocks groups.
- Press 5 and choose a shape under Shape in the Tools panel.
- Enter the X, Y and Z sizes, or change them by ±1 with [ · ].
- Hover over the viewport to see a translucent ghost preview.
- Click to place the shape with that cell as the pivot.
- To mix blocks, type something like
70%stone_bricks, 30%cracked_stone_bricks in the Pattern field.
| Input | Action |
|---|
| Click | Places the shape with the cell under the mouse (placement spot) as the pivot. |
| Two clicks (Line) | First click = start point (orange outline), second = end point. Cancel with a right-click or Esc. |
| [ · ] | Changes X, Y and Z sizes all by ±1 (Shift = ±5). For Line, the thickness changes too. |
| R · Shift+R | Rotates the slope or arch direction when there is no selection. |
| Shape | X · Y · Z fields | Extra fields |
|---|
| Box | Width (X) · Height (Y) · Depth (Z) | Box: Filled · Hollow · Walls only |
| Sphere · ellipsoid | Radius X · Radius Y · Radius Z | Hollow, Part: All · Top half (dome) · Bottom half |
| Cylinder · circle · ellipse | Radius X · Height · Radius Z | Hollow, Axis: X (lying) · Y (upright) · Z (lying) |
| Cone | Base radius · Height | Hollow, Axis |
| Pyramid | Height | Hollow |
| Line (two points) | (none) | Thickness (1–64) |
| Arch | Width · Pillar height · Depth | Thickness, Direction (R) |
| Slope · stairs | Length · Height · Width | Top surface only, Direction (R), Top stairs · Stair block |
| Field | Value | Meaning |
|---|
| Shape | The 8 types in the table above | Shape to place |
| X · Y · Z | 0–1024 | Meaning differs per shape (table above). |
| Thickness | 1–64 | Line · Arch |
| Hollow | On · Off | Places only a 1-block-thick shell. For Slope it is Top surface only. |
| Direction (R) | East (+X) · South (+Z) · West (−X) · North (−Z) | Direction the slope rises, or the direction the arch spans |
| Top stairs · Stair block | On · Off / block id | Uses a stair block for the top cells of the slope (default minecraft:oak_stairs). |
| Pivot | Corner · Bottom center · Center | Which part of the shape the clicked cell becomes |
| Placement | Overwrite · Existing blocks only (paint) · Empty cells only · Delete | With Delete, the ghost appears red. |
One shape is one actor and one undo step.
| Input | Action |
|---|
| Drag | Paints while you drag. One drag = one undo step |
| Shift+drag | Erases with the same size and shape. |
| [ · ] | Radius ±1 (Shift = ±5) |
- When you start dragging, the face you hit is locked as a plane. While dragging, only that plane is painted, so blocks do not pile up toward the camera.
| Field | Value | Meaning |
|---|
| Shape | Sphere · Cube · Cylinder | Brush shape |
| Radius [ ] | 0–64 | Brush size |
| Mode | Overwrite · Paint (existing blocks only) · Empty cells only · Delete | Paint changes only existing blocks and keeps their original actors. |
| Input | Action |
|---|
| Click a block | Changes every area connected by the same block as the clicked one to the current pattern. |
| Click where there is no block | Fills the connected empty cells (air). Use it inside a selection. |
- If there is a selection, connected cells are searched only inside it.
- If there is no selection, the search goes up to the limit. If the limit is exceeded, nothing changes.
| Field | Value | Meaning |
|---|
| Limit (blocks) | 1,000–20,000,000 (default 1,000,000) | If more cells are connected than this, nothing changes. Narrow the range with a selection. |
Type it in the Ratio field of the Pattern group in the Tools panel. It is used by Shape, Brush, Fill, Replace blocks and the drag-box fill of the Place tool. If empty, only the single block to place is used.
- The Pattern group is visible in the Shape, Brush, Fill and Selection tools. A pattern you typed stays in use when you switch to the Place tool.
- If the text is invalid, the single block to place is used instead of the pattern.
| Syntax | Example | Meaning |
|---|
| Ratio | 60%stone, 40%andesite | Mixes by ratio. |
| Count | 3*stone_bricks, cracked_stone_bricks | Mixes 3 : 1. |
| Equal ratio | stone, dirt | Mixes half and half. |
| Block state | oak_stairs[half=top], oak_planks | Commas inside [ ] do not split. |
| Gradient | grad(y: stone → andesite → cobblestone) | Blocks change along an axis. Axis = x · y · z · dist (distance from the center). |
- The same cell always gets the same block. The pattern stays the same even if you undo and redo.
- You can omit
minecraft:.
- Gradient header: range
60..80 (changes only between those heights), blend=0.6 (boundary blending 0–1), seed=3. Example: grad(y 60..80 blend=0.3: grass_block → stone). Without a range, the selection box is used (if none, the bounding box of the shape, brush or fill). Arrows can be →, -> or >.
This is the Replace blocks group in the Tools panel (always visible unless the Prop tool is active).
- Type a block in Find block.
- Type the replacement block (or pattern) in Pattern.
- Press In selection or Whole world. This is one undo step.
| Find block example | Meaning |
|---|
stone | That block regardless of state |
oak_stairs[half=top] | Only states matching the given properties |
stone, andesite | Several blocks (comma-separated) |
* | Every block except air |
air | Empty cells (In selection only) |
The console command replace <find> <replace> [sel|all] does the same thing.
When Symmetry is on, a single edit is also applied at the mirrored, radial and diagonal positions. Block orientations such as stairs and doors are flipped to match the symmetry.
| Key · menu | Action |
|---|
| Shift+M | Symmetry (mirror·radial) mode. Drag the yellow ball to move the center. |
| Alt+M · Tools › Toggle symmetry | Turns Symmetry on/off (settings are kept) |
| Alt+Shift+M · Edit › Cycle active symmetry | Changes which guide to follow when there are several symmetry guides. |
- Symmetry applies to Place, Break, Brush, Shape and drag-box fill. It applies whenever it is on, regardless of the current mode.
- The original edit and the symmetric cells form one undo step together.
- For mirror axes, radial count, and checking and fixing, see the Symmetry section of Detail tools.
| Setting | Where | Meaning |
|---|
| All shape fields | Tools panel › Shape | The “Shape options” table above |
| Shape · Radius · Mode | Tools panel › Brush | The “Brush tool” table above |
| Limit (blocks) | Tools panel › Fill | Maximum number of cells to fill |
| Ratio | Tools panel › Pattern | Pattern text |
| Find block | Tools panel › Replace blocks | What to replace |
| Key | Action |
|---|
| 5 · 6 · 7 | Shape · Brush · Fill |
| [ · ] · - · = · numpad − · + | Shape size · brush radius ±1 |
| Shift+[ · Shift+] | Large step (±5) |
| R · Shift+R | Slope · arch direction (when there is no selection) |
| Shift+drag (Brush) | Erase at the same size |
| Right-click · Esc (Line) | Cancel the line start point |
| Shift+M · Alt+M · Alt+Shift+M | Symmetry mode · on/off · cycle active symmetry |
- When you press a size key, a notice such as “Radius 7” briefly appears in the viewport. Holding the key repeats it.
- Large shapes (over 200,000 blocks) are placed across several frames. Watch the progress in the status bar or cancel with Esc.
- One brush stroke becomes one actor. The Paint mode keeps the original actors.
- If Fill stops with “limit exceeded”, first choose a range with the Selection tool.