Java and Runtime API
The Java API loads the same authored FX used by the editor and owns a separate runtime instance for each playback.
Photon's public playback API is client-only. Load an immutable-ish FX definition, create or let an executor create an FXRuntime, and keep all world/render mutations on the client thread.
Dependency
repositories {
maven { url = "https://maven.firstdark.dev/snapshots" }
}
dependencies {
implementation("com.lowdragmc.ldlib2:ldlib2-neoforge-${minecraft_version}:${ldlib2_version}:all")
implementation("com.lowdragmc.photon:photon-neoforge-${minecraft_version}:${photon_version}") {
transitive = false
}
}Photon 2.2.4 targets Minecraft 1.21.1/NeoForge 21.1 and requires the matching LDLib2 line. Use the published metadata/current mod file for exact dependency ranges instead of copying an old example version.
Minimal Playback
FX fx = FXHelper.getFX(ResourceLocation.parse("mymod:fire"));
if (fx != null) {
new BlockEffectExecutor(fx, level, pos).start();
}FX, FXRuntime, executors, particle objects, shader resources, and post processing are annotated or designed for client distribution. Do not reference them from code that a dedicated server must class-load; place integrations in client-only classes/events.