Tutorial: Solar's Client Plugins for Near-Vanilla Realism (1.20.1)

Published Jan 17th, 1/17/24 1:33 am

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Solar Centurion
Level 34 : Artisan Architect

Introduction

With the Terra 1912 Building Server recently having updated to 1.20.1, I though it would be a good time to compile a list of plugins that I use to assist with the building process and the presentation of my builds. Each section will briefly describe the mod and link to the exact version of it I have installed to ensure compatibility. If you just want the list of links, I'll include them all together at the bottom.
As a disclaimer, this set of mods is tailored specifically for the Terra 1912 community, and for builders who play on a 1.20.1 building server. I don't have the time or interest to make tutorials for every version or use case, but will update this guide when the Terra 1912 server updates versions again.

Fabric Loader (v0.14.25)

While not a mod, I have included my Fabric version in this list it plays nicely with all the client mods to come. Other versions may work, but if you're getting errors on launch I'd recommend downgrading to this version of the loader first.

Link to Fabric

Fabric API (v0.85.0+1.20.1)

Dependency for other mods in the list.

Link to Fabric API

Mod Menu (v7.2.2)

As the title says, this mod adds the interactive "Mods" menu to you screen. A dependency, and always nice to have as it allows you to check if Minecraft is recognizing the mods you've installed.

Link to Mod Menu

Cloth Config (v11.1.118)

Another dependency. This one allows for mods to have custom config menus within the mod menu. More on that later.

Link to Cloth Config

Sodium (v0.5.3)

Improves rendering and performance, which is a necessity for some of the other features we'll be adding.

Link to Sodium

Iris (v1.6.11)

Adds shader support, similarly to Optifine. Now works with the Chocapic13 family of shaders, which are the gold standard in the realism community. See my guide for getting Chocapic shaders set up here!

Link to Iris

Bobby (v5.0.1)

Combined with Chocapic shaders, this mod fundamentally changes how builds can be viewed. By caching chunks sent by the server, the mod can extend your render distances as far as your RAM can handle. The cover image of this tutorial showcases this -- the Eiffel tower built by Loading visible in the distance is being rendered from over 3200 blocks away -- that's like having a render distance of 200!
To enable Bobby, from the main menu follow
Mods -> Bobby -> Menu button in the top right -> Change the render distance to whatever you'd like

Link to Bobby

WI Zoom (v1.5-MC1.20.1)

With all that render distance, it's very handy to have zoom functionality. Iris/Sodium does not have a built-in zoom hotkey like Optifine does, but we can amend that with an even better mod. WI Zoom lets you zoom in up to 50x, letting you get those ultra-low field-of-view distance shots. You can rebind the key in Options -> Controls -> Key Binds. Then just hit the key and scroll to change your zoom level.

Link to WI Zoom

Block Entity Extended Rendering (v3.0.0)

This mod bakes the rendering of block entities (signs, player heads, banners, etc), so they are displayed just like blocks. This overrides the server's maximum block entity view range (usually a measly 64 blocks), allowing you to use block entities without fear of them vanishing from a distance.

Link to BEER

Enhanced Block Entities (v0.9+1.20)

This block works in tandem with BEER, described above. BEER's creator recommends using both together for best performance.

Link to EBE

Command Macros (v1.6.3-1.20)

This mod allows you to bind any chat command to a macro. This goes beyond a simple key-bind, as you can have multi-key macros, giving you access to limitless command options for building tools like WorldEdit.

Link to Command Macros

If you use FAWE and want a basic set of macros to get started, I've added my configuration profile below. It includes familiar operations like ctrl+c for copy, ctrl+v for paste, ctrl+z to undo, and more. To install, create or replace the file in your .minecraft -> config folder called "cmdkeybindconfig.json5" to contain the text below:

Solar's Command Macro Starter Config

{
"enabled": true,
// Keybinding to open the Macro editing screen
"openMacroScreenKeybind": "key.keyboard.right.alt",
"macros": [
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.c",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.left.control",
// Command to execute
"command": "//copy",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.v",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.left.control",
// Command to execute
"command": "//paste -a",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.up",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//asc",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.down",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//desc",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.up",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.left.control",
// Command to execute
"command": "//thru",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.mouse.5",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//hpos1",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.mouse.4",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//hpos2",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.z",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.left.control",
// Command to execute
"command": "//undo",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.r",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.left.control",
// Command to execute
"command": "//redo",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.right",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//rotate 90",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.left",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//rotate -90",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.equal",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//confirm",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.left.bracket",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//pos1",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.right.bracket",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//pos2",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.delete",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//replace !0 0",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.backspace",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//tool repl 0",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.f",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.left.control",
// Command to execute
"command": "//flip",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.delete",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.left.control",
// Command to execute
"command": "//replace hand 0",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.minus",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//shift 3 w",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
},
{
// Macro keybinding
"keyName": "key.keyboard.equal",
// Key modifier
"keyModName": "key.keyboard.unknown",
// Command to execute
"command": "//move 15 u -a",
// Type of Macro. Delayed, Repeating, RunNTimes, SingleUse, DisplayOnly
"macroType": "SingleUse"
}
]
}

Conclusion

And that's everything. I will keep this guide updated with new or updated plugins. Here is a list with links to all the plugins described above:

Fabric Loader (v0.14.25)
Fabric API (v0.85.0+1.20.1)
Mod Menu (v7.2.2)
Cloth Config (v11.1.118)
Sodium (v0.5.3)
Iris (v1.6.11)
Bobby (v5.0.1)
WI Zoom (v1.5-MC1.20.1)
Block Entity Extended Rendering (v3.0.0)
Enhanced Block Entities (v0.9+1.20)
Command Macros (v1.6.3-1.20)

Credits

Cover image features builds by AkiraBuilds and Loading_the_Builder, and myself.

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