Blockbench vs mcblend

Blockbench is a free, open-source editor for making low-poly 3D models. Its tools support cuboid and mesh modeling, and users can create, edit, and paint textures in the program. Blockbench can generate a model's UV map and template, and connect to an external image editor or pixel-art program. For animation, it supports rigging, position, rotation, and scale keyframes, along with a graph editor. The built-in plugin store offers extensions such as tools, export formats, and model generators; users can also create plugins. Blockbench is available as a web app and on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. The project is licensed under the GPL. Its privacy policy says the software does not knowingly collect personally identifiable data, though it may collect anonymized usage information such as installation count. Local storage and cookies can remember preferences on a user's device. When users choose Model Sharing, model data is stored for the duration they select, and they can request earlier removal.

mcblend is a free, open-source Blender add-on for creating and modifying Minecraft Bedrock Edition models. It imports and exports entity and attachable models, including cubes and polymeshes. For animation, it exports keyframes and poses, and can bake animations into Minecraft format, including work using inverse kinematics and constraints. It can also turn Blender camera movement and field-of-view animation into JavaScript data for Minecraft Script API cutscenes and scripted camera playback; additional game logic is needed to apply that data to a player's camera.

The add-on arranges UV coordinates for cube faces and can create a template texture. Polymeshes use Blender's regular texturing features. It also draws on Blender's rigging and physics tools and can set up rigid bodies automatically. Installation uses a ZIP downloaded from GitHub releases and added through Blender's Add-ons preferences; the documentation instructs users to install Blender 5.2. Models must use exactly one armature, with each cube or polymesh as a separate object parented to armature bones. Polymeshes are experimental in Minecraft and may not remain supported. Updates require removing the old add-on and installing a new version.