World

Building Tutorial

From placing your first block to building a whole house in one go with tools. The fastest way to learn: in the world, press F2 → 4 Building Tutorial and follow the steps on the right side of the screen once. Keep this page around for reference.

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F2 → 4

In the world, press F2 to open the menu and pick 4 "Building Tutorial". The right side of the screen walks you through it step by step. Each step only moves on once you get it right, and the first time you also get a set of practice materials.

Only in the World

Building only works in the world; you can't build in rooms of other modes.

Keys Can Be Changed

This page lists the default keys. If you change them in Settings → Controls, the on-screen hints in the game show your keys instead.

Must Touch Something

Pieces must touch the ground or something else; they can't float in midair. If a piece can't be placed, the bottom of the screen tells you why.

14 steps: from placing a block to measuring distance

Same steps as the in-game Building Tutorial (F2 → 4). Do it once and you'll know all the basics.

1.Build and Break

  1. Pick Up a Building Material

    1 ~ 9B

    Select a block on your hotbar. B opens your inventory, where you can drag items to the hotbar.

  2. Place a Block

    RMB

    Aim your crosshair at the ground or a block and right-click to place it.

  3. Break One

    LMB (hold)

    Hold until it breaks. What you break drops on the ground; walk over it to pick it up.

2.Shapes

  1. Change Shape

    VShift+V

    Block → Slab → Panel → Pillar → Stairs → various slopes. Shift + V goes back.

  2. Use the Shape Wheel

    V (hold)

    Hold it down to bring up the wheel, move the mouse to the shape you want, and release to select it.

3.Direction and Size

  1. Rotate

    RShift+R

    Rotates 90 degrees per press. When you haven't rotated it, slopes and stairs automatically face you.

  2. Stand It Up

    T

    Tips the piece forward 90 degrees. For example, a slope tipped up becomes a wall.

  3. Resize

    []

    Shrink / enlarge. Simple mode has three sizes: 1, 1/2 and 1/4.

  4. Reset to Default

    Backspace

    Resets direction, flip and size to default.

4.Materials and Tools

  1. Switch Materials

    1 ~ 9

    The color and texture come from the material in your selected slot; switch to a slot with a different material and place again.

  2. Build a Whole Row at Once

    C

    Switch to Line, then right-click the start point and then the end point. The green box is a preview; press C again to cancel.

  3. Undo

    Ctrl+Z

    Takes back your last action; a whole row counts as just one.

  4. Pick What You're Aiming At

    Z

    Your hand switches to that piece's material and shape, so you can build an exact match.

  5. Measure Distance

    H

    Marks the spot under your crosshair. Then look somewhere else and the screen shows the horizontal distance in cells and the height difference. Press again to clear.

Building Controls

Controls for Simple mode (default). The bottom of the screen always shows your current shape, direction, size and the matching keys.

Basics
Place
RMB
Break / digBetter tools dig faster, and some things need a good enough tool to break
LMB (hold)
Dig a square holeNormal digging makes a bowl-shaped pit; hold Shift to dig out square, full-cell holes
Shift+LMB (hold)
Select hotbar slotShift + Wheel down = next slot, up = previous slot
1 ~ 9/Shift+Wheel
Inventory / crafting
B
Pick the piece under your crosshairSwitches both material and shape to match it
Z
Undo last action
Ctrl+Z
Shape, Direction, Size
Change ShapeHold for the wheel; Shift + V goes back
V
Rotate 90°Shift + R rotates the other way
R
Tip forward 90° (stand it up)Simple mode; Shift + T tips the other way
T
Shrink / enlargeSimple mode: 1 → 1/2 → 1/4
[/]
Reset everything
Backspace
Tools
Switch building toolSingle → Line → Wall → Arc → Copy → Paste
C
RulerMark / clear
H
Arc: change sides / change arcCircle / 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 8-sided polygon; full / half / quarter circle
G/T
Paste: rotate 90° / mirror
R/T

Shapes & Materials

Press V to cycle through these shapes (side view). The slot in your hand decides the material.

  • Block

    One full cell (32 units on each side).

  • Slab

    Half a cell tall, for raising things a little.

  • Panel

    A very thin sheet, for floors and platform edges.

  • Pillar

    A thin column, for supports or railings.

  • Stairs

    Walk up step by step, no jumping needed.

  • Gentle Slope (1:4)

    A very gentle slope you can walk straight up.

  • Slope (1:2)

    A medium slope.

  • Steep Slope (45°)

    A 45-degree slope.

  • Surf Ramp

    Steeper than 45 degrees. You can't stand on it and will slide down, so it makes a good slide.

  • Any shape can be built with any building material; the color and texture come from the material in your selected slot.
  • For terrain materials (dirt, stone and the like), the first shape in the list is Terrain Block, which becomes part of the terrain itself.
  • Special pieces like doors, ladders, chests and beds are separate items in your inventory; just pick one up and place it.

Building Tools

Press C to cycle through them. The bottom of the screen shows the current tool and where to click next.

  • Single

    RMB

    The default. Places one at a time.

  • Line

    RMB

    Click the start point, then the end point, to fill a whole row in between. After setting the start point, look up into the air to build a pillar straight up from it.

  • Wall

    RMB

    Click one corner, then the opposite corner, to fill in a wall or a floor.

  • Arc

    GT

    Click the center, then the radius. G switches to polygons, T to a half or quarter circle.

  • Copy

    RMB

    Select two corners to save everything inside the box.

  • Paste

    RT

    Places everything you copied as one group. R rotates it 90 degrees, T mirrors it.

  • Two-point tools show a green preview box after the first click; press C at that point to cancel.
  • Up to 512 pieces at a time. The screen shows how many this will use and how many you have.
  • A whole row, a whole wall or a pasted group each count as just one action, so Ctrl + Z takes it all back together.

Advanced Building: Any Angle, Per-Axis Scaling

Turn on Settings → HUD → Advanced Building for finer rotation and scaling.

Advanced Mode
RotateShift + R rotates the other way; the angle follows the step chosen below
R
Change rotation axisHorizontal → front-back → left-right
T
Change rotation step90 → 45 → 15 → 5 → 1 degrees
Y
Shrink / enlarge1/8 per press, minimum 1/8
[/]
Change scale axisAll → length → width → height (for long thin strips or flat plates)
X
Reset everything
Backspace
  • In advanced mode, pieces don't automatically face you; they're placed at the angle shown at the bottom of the screen.
  • If you're not sure how a piece is rotated right now, pressing Backspace to start over is the fastest fix.

Digging Terrain: Bowl Pits and Square Holes

Hold left-click on the ground with a tool to dig. Better tools dig faster.

  • Normal Digging

    LMB (hold)

    Leaves a natural bowl-shaped pit with rounded edges, like really digging into the ground.

  • Hold Shift to Dig

    Shift+LMB (hold)

    Digs a perfectly square hole, one full cell at a time. Use this for basements and foundations.

  • Both ways of digging leave a flat floor, so you can place blocks right on it.
  • Even a trench just one cell wide won't end in a pointed bottom, so you can jump back out if you fall in.
  • To dig a neat room: hold Shift and dig out the outline first, then hollow out the inside.

Realistic Graphics (Experimental)

Press Esc → Settings → Video → turn on Realistic Graphics (Experimental). The world switches to a more realistic look, and you can toggle it any time to compare.

  • The ground, blocks and water switch to realistic textures, and water gets reflections and ripples.
  • Furniture switches to realistic models: chests, barrels, beds, bookshelves, Crafting Tables, Furnaces, lanterns and campfires.
  • It only changes how things look. What you build, collisions and jumping stay the same, and other players see whatever their own setting is.
  • It's harder on your graphics card, so turn it off if the game gets choppy.

FAQ

How do I rotate blocks?

Press R to rotate 90 degrees and Shift + R to rotate the other way; press T to tip it forward 90 degrees (stand it up). For any angle, turn on Advanced Building in Settings → HUD and press Y to change the step (down to 1 degree).

Can I make blocks smaller?

Yes. Press [ to shrink and ] to enlarge. Simple mode has three sizes: 1, 1/2 and 1/4. Advanced Building changes it by 1/8 each time, and X lets you scale just the length, width or height.

How do I change a block's color or texture?

The color and texture come from the material in your selected slot. Switch to a slot with a different building material (such as Stone Bricks or Glass) and place again; you don't need to pick the shape again.

What if I build something in the wrong place?

Press Ctrl + Z to undo your last action (a whole row counts as one). You can also hold LMB to break a single piece; it drops on the ground so you can pick it back up.

How do I dig a perfectly square hole?

Hold Shift and hold LMB to dig. You get a square hole, one full cell at a time, ideal for basements and foundations. Normal digging makes a natural bowl-shaped pit; both kinds leave a flat floor.

Can the graphics look more realistic?

Yes. Press Esc → Settings → Video and turn on Realistic Graphics (Experimental). The ground, blocks and water switch to realistic textures, and furniture like chests, beds and campfires switches to realistic models. It's harder on your graphics card, so turn it off if the game gets choppy.

Is there a building tutorial in the game?

Yes. In the world, press F2 → 4 Building Tutorial and the right side of the screen walks you through 14 steps one by one; you only move on once you get each step right. The first time, you also get a set of practice materials. Press F2 → 4 again to end it.