Effortless Building
Transform Your Minecraft Building Experience
While many popular mods simplify resource gathering with hammers, quarries, and vein mining, few focus on making block placement easier. Even experienced players continue to place blocks one by one. Effortless Building fundamentally changes this approach by offering innovative tools for fast and efficient construction.
Key Features
The mod provides a comprehensive set of tools that work in synergy:
- Instant real-time block mirroring
- Rapid creation of repeating sections using arrays
- Random block placement through a special randomizer bag
- Instant replacement of existing blocks (activated with a key press)
- Full compatibility with survival and creative modes
Building Modes
Hold the ALT key to switch between different building modes. On the left side, you'll find buttons for undo/redo actions, modifier settings, and quick replace activation. On the right side, parameters are available for each mode, such as solid or hollow walls, and accelerated building in Normal+ mode.
Available building modes:
- Normal: standard block placement
- Normal+: extended reach
- Line: creating block lines along any three axes
- Wall: building walls with fixed X or Z axis
- Floor: creating "walls" with fixed Y axis
- Diagonal Line: freeform diagonal block placement
- Diagonal Wall: walls at any angle
- Slope Floor: creating sloped surfaces
- Cube: building cubes with three clicks
- Circle: placing blocks in circular or elliptical patterns
- Cylinder: creating cylindrical structures
- Sphere: forming spherical objects from cubes
Building Modifiers
Open modifier settings using the + key on the numeric keypad or through the corresponding button in the ALT menu.
Available modifiers:
- Mirror
- Array
- Radial Mirror
Mirror
Instantly reflects blocks in real-time as you place them. Works with both even and odd symmetry constructions (adds 0.5 to position). Correctly rotates blocks like stairs, logs, slabs, pistons, and others.
Configure position, radius, and reflection axes by pressing the + key on the numeric keypad.
- Position: mirror location in the world
- Direction: selection of axes for reflection, simultaneous reflection on all axes is possible
- Size (radius): distance from position where the mirror continues to work. Limited by your reach
- Set to current position: place mirror at current player position
- Toggle odd/even: set position to center or corner of block for even or odd-numbered constructions
- Show lines and area: visualization of mirror location
Array
The array modifier copies your construction in a specific direction a set number of times. Perfect for creating Nether tunnels and rapid wall construction.
Offset can be added in multiple directions for diagonal constructions. Block breaking is also supported for error correction.
- Offset: direction of block replication. Example: with offset (2,1,0) and count 3, placing a block at (0,0,0) will also create blocks at (2,1,0), (4,2,0) and (6,3,0)
- Count: number of block replications
- Reach: limits maximum distance for block placement
Radial Mirror
The radial array allows block placement in a circle around a specific point. The circle can be divided into sectors, each copying your block placements.
Enable alternative mode for mirror reflection of every second sector.
- Position: center of radial mirror
- Sectors: number of sectors dividing the circle. Each sector copies block placement
- Radius: distance from position where radial mirror continues to work
- Alternative mode: mirror reflection of every second sector
Randomizer Bag
Place blocks in the bag, then right-click to place a random block from the contents. Adjust ratios by filling slots with identical blocks. Perfect for creating walls and paths with natural variations. Combine with arrays and quick replace for maximum efficiency.
Crafting Recipes
Leather Randomizer Bag (5 slots)
Crafted by surrounding any wooden planks with leather.
Golden Randomizer Bag (9 slots)
Diamond Randomizer Bag (27 slots)
For version 1.16: use purple dye instead of amethyst shards.
Survival Mode Compatibility
The mod fully supports gameplay in survival mode:
- All actions consume the correct amount of blocks
- Appropriate tools are required for block breaking
- Tools wear proportionally to the number of blocks broken
- Replacement works only with blocks that can be mined by hand (configurable)
- Mining speed decreases for each additional block (configurable percentage)
Quick Replace
Press the - (minus) key on the numeric keypad to activate quick replace. In this mode, new blocks don't place on the block you're looking at, but replace it. Excellent for floor replacement or material changes in general.
In survival mode, quick replace works only with blocks that can be mined by hand. This setting can be changed in configuration.
Reach Upgrades
Your reach determines how far you can place blocks. It also affects the maximum mirror radius and array range.
Increase reach with craftable upgrades. They must be used sequentially; you cannot skip to upgrade 3 without using 1 and 2. Numerical values can be edited in configuration.
Reach Upgrade 1
- Block placement: 12 blocks
- Mirror radius: 25 blocks
- Array range: 50 blocks
Reach Upgrade 2
- Block placement: 25 blocks
- Mirror radius: 50 blocks
- Array range: 100 blocks
Reach Upgrade 3
- Block placement: 50 blocks
- Mirror radius: 100 blocks
- Array range: 200 blocks
Frequently Asked Questions
"Can I add this mod to my modpack?"
Certainly!
"Will you update versions for 1.12-1.15?"
No, these versions are outdated. You should consider updating.
"Will there be a Fabric version?"
Possibly. Meanwhile, huskcasaca created a Fabric version.
"Is this mod client-side only?"
No, it must be installed on both server and client. The server part places blocks in bulk. Without it, the client would need to send all blocks individually, which would overload most servers.
"Can I create my own version of this mod?"
Yes, provided you comply with the LGPL-3.0 license (typically this means: link to this page, license your modification under LGPL-3.0, open source code, and indicate significant changes).
Mod Reviews
SmallishBeans
ScottoMotto
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Grimmauld for porting to 1.16, Dashos for fixing "fake player" related crashes, and manapart for porting to 1.19!
Radial menu inspired by Chisels and Bits by AlgorithmX2
