States and Rendering

MBD2 21.1.1

Every definition has a root base state. Child states inherit renderer, shape, light, rendering box, and sound when the corresponding toggle is disabled.

Select a state in the left hierarchy to edit its enabled overrides and inherited rendering fields.

Recommended state tree

State	Purpose
base	Fallback renderer, shape, light, and sound
idle	Ready but not currently processing
waiting	Recipe selected but condition/input/tick requirement is unavailable
working	Active processing visuals and sound
formed / unformed	Useful for parts or multiblock-specific presentation

A child without its own enabled renderer uses the parent's renderer. The same inheritance applies independently to shape, light level, rendering box, machine sound, and machine effects.

Renderer choices

Renderer	Needs	Notes
Model	A model resource location	Verify its texture dependencies are packaged
GeckoLib	GeckoLib, plus model, texture and animation resources	Adds the client keyframe event
Custom Script	KubeJS	Draws from a client script — see script renderers
Java	An IRenderer supplied by a mod	Keep server construction safe; client suppliers are evaluated only on the client path

Shapes rotate from their authored north-facing orientation. Rendering boxes affect block-entity rendering bounds, not collision. Global visibility and rendering radius can make a renderer visible farther away; use them sparingly.

Effects and sound

A state's Photon effect list and its machine sound both follow the same inheritance rule as the renderer: a disabled toggle means "whatever my parent says", not "nothing". A state that genuinely wants silence enables the toggle and leaves the list empty. See Machine effects.

WARNING

Shape and registry-facing block property changes may require restart and can affect existing automation or collision. Test every facing, especially asymmetric shapes.