Blockbench

Blocky graphics are quite popular these days and the best part is that it's not expensive and it doesn't require an army of artists to create. What's more, certain games, such as Minecraft, offer an excellent support for modding, which is as good a reason as any to create your own models. Blockbench places everything you need at your disposal for creating block-based models. It has a wide range of useful features to offer and it is quite easy to master. From a simple starting block, you can end up with a highly detailed model in no time.

Blockbench is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X and you can also find it as a web-based application. What's more, the software is offered completely free of charge. It comes in a small package and it takes only a few seconds to install its core components on your computer. Furthermore, the hardware requirements are modest and you don't need to install any prerequisite tools or services.

In terms of appearance, Blockbench is similar to most 3D modelling programs, but its user interface is not as crowded. Because you get to work mainly with cubes, there is no need for vast amounts of editing tools and configuration panels. However, this doesn't mean that Blockbench is limited in what it has to offer. The tools it places at your disposal are more than enough for turning your ideas into reality.

Once you've mastered the software's controls, which shouldn't take long, you will be able to create anything you can think of. The basic idea is quite simple, just like block-based graphics themselves. You have to add cubes to your editing environment and place them together to create a larger object. Switching to a wireframe view mode, importing backgrounds or capturing models, canvases or windows will aid you considerably if you intend to create a specific model.

You can start your projects with one simple cube, in a 3D editing environment. The available tools, located all around the editing area, can be used to manipulate the cube in various ways. The software lets you stretch, scale, translate and rotate cubes in any direction. A paint tool can be used on individual block faces. Additionally, the software lets you import texture files and apply them in a similar manner, on individual faces.

You are not limited to simply putting one cube next to another. It is also possible to clip them into each other, regardless of their orientation. This, together with the program's fine controls, gives you the possibility of working with a great degree of accuracy.

Finally, when your project is complete, you will be able to use it in your modded games, thanks to Blockbench's extensive support for various output formats, including PE and Optifine.

With Blockbench, you don't need to be an expert to create high quality 3D block-based models.