Shahrukh Sial is a gaming content writer at Sparked Host. He covers game guides, tips, and updates to help players improve their skills and enjoy a better gaming experience.

How To Create Models In Hytale

Are you ready to jump into the long-awaited world of Hytale and contribute your own art and imagination to its vast universe? The game, now revived by its original founder, is set for early access on January 13, 2026, making this the perfect time to explore its development tools. This blog will be your essential introduction to start creating models and master the animation system for Hytale. The developers behind Hytale’s modeling tools, including CraftStudio and the official Hytale Model Maker, have played a crucial role in designing accessible software and supporting the creative community.

The good news is that Hytale’s philosophy is all about accessibility and simplicity. You do not need an advanced degree in 3D art or complex software to begin your development journey. Whether you are aiming to create simple blocks or elaborate creatures, the tools are designed for the beginner user. Artists can start with basic cubes and cuboids as the fundamental building blocks, gradually adding detail as needed. At the same time, the modeling system avoids complex processes like weight painting. Hytale Model Maker (HMM) is the official, built-in tool for creating models, textures, and animations in Hytale. Hytale uses exclusively two primitives for model creation, avoiding complex topologies and ensuring ease of use.

We will focus on the animation principles and modeling tools available, giving you the tips and knowledge you need to bring your assets to life. You will learn how to structure your models and apply animation principles using Blockbench, the recommended tool of the community, which now features an official Blockbench plugin to streamline the process for all aspiring creators. Looking ahead, the future of Hytale’s engine promises exciting visual enhancements such as godrays, transparent glass, and improved color grading, which will further empower creators and elevate the game’s visual experience.

Getting Started: The Essential Tools and Structure

Before you can truly begin to create amazing models for Hytale, there are a few foundational elements you need to understand. The game’s engine is optimized to run efficiently on modest computer systems, which influences how you should approach your art style and geometry. The Hytale engine uses exclusively two primitives for model creation: cuboids and flat planes. Cubes and cuboids are the fundamental building blocks for Hytale models, forming the basis for detailed textures and complex designs. This avoids complex topology and makes creation accessible to everyone.

The overall look is a stylized fusion of low-resolution pixel art and traditional 3D hand-painted style. This art style is guided by four fundamental principles, referred to as the Art Pillars, which the development team relies on to ensure the visual consistency of the Hytale universe. Notably, Hytale does not use the PBR (Physically Based Rendering) workflow, opting instead for a unique rendering approach tailored to its style.

While the official Hytale Model Maker (HMM) is the built-in tool, Hytale now works hand-in-hand with Blockbench, a fan favorite. A dedicated, official blockbench plugin is now available, which is essential for working with Hytale assets. The modeling system in Hytale Model Maker uses cuboids and flat planes, allowing for more complex designs than just using plain blocks. Models in Hytale can be created by resizing cuboids and flat planes.

Remember, for performance reasons, models should start with simple shapes and only increase geometry to refine the silhouette. Models should be optimized to minimize the impact on the graphics card, as the game can render millions of polygons per frame. Hytale’s engine is designed to run efficiently on older computers, prioritizing speed while displaying a large number of elements in the environment. The crucial texel density for characters and attachments is set at 64 pixels per unit, while for props and blocks it is 32 pixels per unit.

Organization is Key for Animation

If you have a model already, the most vital first step before any animation is ensuring your folder hierarchy is correct. In Blockbench, your structure defines how the character moves. For example, the “waist” should be the root. The arm must be held by the “shoulder” folder, which then leads down to the “elbow,” and finally to the “hand.”

  • Organize Folders: Make sure your model’s component folders follow a logical, anatomical structure (e.g., shoulder contains elbow, which includes hand).

  • Naming Convention: Use clear names for all folders and objects. This is a crucial aspect of clean development.

Understanding Geometry Constraints

Understanding geometry constraints is fundamental when creating models for Hytale. The game’s engine is built around simplicity, using only cuboids and flat planes as the building blocks for all models. This approach not only makes the modeling process accessible to creators of all skill levels but also ensures that assets fit perfectly within Hytale’s iconic art style. The Blockbench plugin is an invaluable tool here, guiding creators to stay within these geometry constraints and helping maintain optimal performance across the game world.

By working within these limitations, you can focus on the creative aspects of your models, refining their silhouette, adding personality, and ensuring they blend seamlessly into the Hytale universe. The simplicity of the geometry also means that your models will load quickly and perform well, even in large, bustling environments. Embracing these constraints is key to producing art that feels at home in Hytale, allowing your creations to come to life while supporting the overall style and performance goals of the game engine.

Designing and Texturing: Bringing Your Model to Life

Once your model’s geometry is set, it’s time to infuse it with character through design and texturing. The Blockbench plugin offers a suite of tools that make this process both fun and flexible. You can experiment with a variety of brushes and techniques to achieve Hytale’s signature stylized, fantasy art style, whether you prefer crisp, pencil-like lines or soft, painterly gradients.

To add depth and realism, take advantage of features like normal maps and ambient occlusion, which can give your models a sense of volume and life without increasing geometric complexity. Adjusting texel density is also crucial; maintaining the recommended texel density ensures your textures look sharp and consistent in-game, whether you’re working on a character, a block, or a piece of furniture.

The Hytale community is a fantastic resource for sharing tips, tricks, and inspiration. Don’t hesitate to experiment with different styles and techniques, and remember that the most memorable models often come from creators who aren’t afraid to try something new. By focusing on both the technical and artistic aspects of texturing, you’ll bring your models to life and help shape the vibrant, fantasy world of Hytale.

The Animation Scene: Your Digital Stage

Once your model is correctly structured, click on the Animation tab in Blockbench. This is where the magic happens. You still have complete control of interacting with your character or creatures in the scene, which is now equipped with a powerful timeline.

The animation scene includes various tools and features:

  • Timeline and Graph Editor: Use the timeline to set keyframes. The graph editor (which you can toggle on or off) gives you precise control over the curves of motion.

  • Filtering: You can filter which properties you edit, Rotation, Position, or Scale.

  • Clear Timeline: This handy button removes any components from the timeline that have not yet been modified.

  • Markers: You can create markers to note specific events within the animation timeline.

Setting Up Your First Animation

To start making models come to life, you must first add a new animation. Go to the top left and click “Add an animation.” We will create a simple “Idle” animation here.

Setting Description Recommended for Idle
Loop Mode Defines how the animation ends. Loop (Allows the animation to play continuously, easier for continuous motions like running or idling.)
Snapping The frames per second equivalent. 24 (The default is generally acceptable; the frame rate for Hytale is often presumed to be 24 or 60.)
Blend Weight For multiple animations, it determines which one takes priority. 0 or 1 (A higher number means more control.)
Delay Start delay and loop delay. Avoid (We want to see a complete play-through immediately.)
Click Confirm, and you are ready to set your first keyframes.

Your First Animation: The Idle Cycle

The goal is to create an idle animation where the character is subtly breathing, looking around, and moving its arms and legs slightly. Remember, less exaggeration often looks better for a static idle animation.

Head and Torso Movement

  1. Head Tilt: Drag the time to about half a second. Click on the head and tilt it slightly. Blockbench automatically sets a keyframe for the new position. The model’s base position is the default starting point.

  2. Smooth Motion: To make the head movement look natural, you must adjust the keyframe interpolation. Select the keyframes and change the interpolation from Linear to Smooth or Bézier. This prevents a “snappy” motion and helps convey realistic emotions.

  3. Breathing Effect: Select the chest. To emulate breathing, use the Scale property. At about 0.33 seconds, slightly increase the scale (e.g., up by 0.01) to simulate breathing in. Then copy and paste this new position to the end. The subtle change in scale adds life to the entire upper body, which is a key aspect of Thomas Frick’s approach to Hytale art.

Adding Life to the Arms and Legs

A common beginner mistake is placing all keyframes on the same timeline point. This makes the animation feel static. To make the character feel alive, vary the timing of your keyframes for different body parts.

  • Shoulder and Elbow: At about 0.25 seconds, rotate the shoulder and then slightly delay the rotation of the elbow. This sequence makes the arm movement appear more natural.

  • Foot Twist: For the lower body, add a minor foot rotation or shift in the knee. Grab the thigh, knee, and foot, move them slightly, and then copy the original position to the end. A subtle foot movement can add a lot of life to the model.

  • Body Shift: For an extra aspect of realism, apply a slight side-to-side rotation to the root object (the waist) when one foot appears to be resting more than the other. This simulates a natural weight shift, adding depth to the character’s movement.

Model Optimization for Performance

Optimizing your models is essential for ensuring that Hytale delivers a smooth, enjoyable experience for all players, regardless of their hardware. As highlighted by Thomas Frick in this blog post, the game’s engine is designed to balance visual appeal with high performance. This means creators should always be mindful of geometry constraints, keeping models as simple as possible while preserving their distinctive silhouette and style.

The Blockbench plugin provides powerful features to help you optimize your models, such as tools for adjusting geometry and texel density. By minimizing unnecessary details and focusing on the most critical aspects of your model’s shape, you can help the game maintain a high frame rate, even in worlds filled with complex assets and accessories.

Early access to Hytale and its development tools gives you the perfect opportunity to start making models and practice optimizing them for performance. By following the tips outlined in this article and leveraging the community’s collective knowledge, you’ll be able to create assets that not only look great but also contribute to a seamless, fun gameplay experience. Remember, optimization is not just about reducing polygons; it’s about making wise choices that enhance both the art and the performance of your creations in the Hytale universe.

Expert Tips and References

To truly elevate your models and animation, keep these tips in mind:

  1. Folder Structure is Vital: I cannot stress this enough. A correct folder structure is essential for a good Blockbench animation.

  2. Experiment with Curves: Always experiment with different keyframe interpolation curves (Smooth, Bézier, etc.). This is what separates a good animation from a great animation.

  3. Vary Your Timing: Avoid having every single keyframe fall on the same timeline point. Stagger your movements to create a seamless, non-robotic flow.

  4. Use References: For more complex animations, like a running cycle, use a reference image (such as a running person), which you can import into your scene. This helps you figure out the key animation poses for the foot order and overall character shape.

  5. Focus on Performance: Remember, the Hytale engine can display millions of polygons per frame, but to ensure good performance for all players, your models should start with simple shapes and only increase geometry to refine the silhouette. The art style is stylized and iconic. The texture resolution must be multiples of 32px (e.g., 32, 64, 96), and stretching geometry is limited to between 0.7x and 1.3x.

  6. Watch Videos for Tutorials: Improve your modeling and animation skills by watching videos that showcase tutorials and process demonstrations. These can provide valuable visual guidance and inspiration.

  7. Try Complex Models Like the Magma Golem: Challenge yourself by creating complex models such as the magma golem. There is strong community support and many tutorials available to help you with these advanced projects.

  8. Model Orientation Matters: Always ensure your models are oriented to face the positive Z-axis for proper in-game alignment. This is crucial for correct placement and animation within Hytale.

Saving Your Work and The JSON Returns

Once you are happy with your animation, remember to save your model and animation. In Blockbench, go to the top left and click “Save to Disk.” The animation is saved as a JSON file.

This is a key aspect of Hytale’s modding tools. The JSON structure contains all the details of your model’s geometry and animation, making it easy to load directly into the game. Even if you are not a programmer, understanding that your models are presented in this format will be handy when the official blockbench plugin is released.

The official plugin now uses the .blockymodel and .blockyanim file formats, which provide seamless integration with the game. The Hytale engine utilizes a server-side system where uploaded models and textures are treated as Art Assets for players to interact with, and users can export their creations and test them in-game immediately.

Conclusion

The Hytale game is designed to give creators the tools and freedom to create a vast amount of custom assets, from intricate models and accessories to simple blocks and furniture. The approachable art style, which is a fusion of low-resolution pixel art and traditional 3D hand-painted style, makes it a joy to work within. You have learned the importance of proper folder structure, how to utilize the Blockbench animation system, and key tips for making your models come to life.

While we still wait for early access to the game, you can gain a significant head start by mastering these tools. Enjoy the fun of development and remember to let your imagination run wild in this fantasy world. The simplicity of the Hytale engine, which prioritizes performance and uses only two geometry primitives for models, ensures that anyone can create high-quality content. This entire blog post serves as your guide to mastering the fundamentals of Hytale animation.