WorldEdit Tutorial

This is a step-by-step tutorial outlining the basic usage of WorldEdit.

Let's start with a few assumptions:

• You have a compatible version of Minetest working, that is 5.0 or later.
• You have WorldEdit installed as a mod.
  • Simply download the file, extract the archive, and move it to the correct mod folder for Minetest.
  • See the installation instructions in README if you need more details.
• You are familiar with the basics of the game.
  • How to walk, jump, and climb.
  • How to dig, place, and punch blocks.
  • One of the following:
    • How to type into the chat and read text from it.
    • How to open the inventory screen and press buttons on it.

Overview

WorldEdit has a "region", which is simply a cuboid area defined by two markers, both of which the player can move around. Every player can have their own region with their own two markers.

WorldEdit GUI buttons and chat commands generally work inside the region selected, or around the first marker.

If you are using the chat commands, follow the steps under Chat Commands. If you are using the WorldEdit GUI, follow the steps under WorldEdit GUI.

Step 1: Selecting a region

Chat Commands

In the chat prompt, enter //p set. In the chat, you are prompted to punch two nodes to set the positions of the two markers.

Punch a nearby node. Be careful of breakable ones such as torches. A black cube reading "1" will appear around the node. This is the marker for WorldEdit position 1.

Walk away from the node you just punched. Now, punch another node. A black cube reading "2" will appear around the node. This is the marker for WorldEdit position 2.

WorldEdit GUI

Open the main WorldEdit GUI from your inventory screen. The icon looks like a globe with a red dot in the center.

Press the "Get/Set Positions" button. On the new screen, press the "Set Position 1" button. The inventory screen should close.

Punch a nearby node. Be careful of breakable ones such as torches. A black cube reading "1" will appear around the node. This is the marker for WorldEdit position 1.

Walk away from the node you just punched. Open your inventory again. It should be on the same page as it was before.

Press the "Set Position 2" button. The inventory screen should close.

Now, punch another node. A black cube reading "2" will appear around the node. This is the marker for WorldEdit position 2.

Step 2: Region commands

Chat Commands

In the chat prompt, enter //set mese. In the chat, you will see a message showing the number of nodes set after a small delay.

Look at the place between the two markers: it is now filled with MESE blocks!

The //set command fills the region with whatever node you want. It is a region-oriented command, which means it works inside the WorldEdit region only.

Now, try a few different variations, such as //set torch, //set cobble, and //set water source.

WorldEdit GUI

Open the main WorldEdit GUI from your inventory screen.

Press the "Set Nodes" button. You should see a new screen with various options for setting nodes.

Enter "mese" in the "Name" field. Press Search if you would like to see what the node you just entered looks like.

Press the "Set Nodes" button on this screen. In the chat, you will see a message showing the number of nodes set after a small delay.

Look at the place between the two markers: it is now filled with MESE blocks!

The "Set Nodes" function fills the region with whatever node you want. It is a region-oriented command, which means it works inside the WorldEdit region only.

Now, try a few different variations on the node name, such as "torch", "cobble", and "water source".

Step 3: Position commands

Chat Commands

In the chat prompt, enter //hollowdome 30 glass. In the chat, you will see a message showing the number of nodes set after a small delay.

Look around marker 1: it is now surrounded by a hollow glass dome!

The //hollowdome command creates a hollow dome centered around marker 1, made of any node you want. It is a position-oriented command, which means it works around marker 1 and can go outside the WorldEdit region.

WorldEdit GUI

Open the main WorldEdit GUI from your inventory screen.

Press the "Sphere/Dome" button. You should see a new screen with various options for making spheres or domes.

Enter "glass" in the "Name" field. Press Search if you would like to see what the node you just entered looks like.

Enter "30" in the "Radius" field.

Press the "Hollow Dome" button on this screen. In the chat, you will see a message showing the number of nodes added after a small delay.

Look around marker 1: it is now surrounded by a hollow glass dome!

The "Hollow Dome" function creates a hollow dome centered around marker 1, made of any node you want. It is a position-oriented command, which means it works around marker 1 and can go outside the WorldEdit region.

Step 4: Other commands

Chat Commands

There are many more commands than what is shown here. See the Chat Commands Reference for a detailed list of them, along with descriptions and examples for every single one.

If you're in-game and forgot how a command works, just use the /help command, without the first forward slash. For example, to see some information about the //set command mentioned earlier, simply use /help /set.

A very useful command to check out is the //save command, which can save everything inside the WorldEdit region to a file, stored on the computer hosting the server (the player's computer, in single player mode). You can then later use //load to load the data in a file into a world, even another world on another computer.

WorldEdit GUI

This only scratches the surface of what WorldEdit is capable of. Most of the functions in the WorldEdit GUI correspond to chat commands, and so the Chat Commands Reference may be useful if you get stuck.

It is helpful to explore the various buttons in the interface and check out what they do. Learning the chat command interface is also useful if you use WorldEdit intensively - an experienced chat command user can usually work faster than an experienced WorldEdit GUI user.

Chat Commands

For more information, see the README.

Many commands also have shorter names that can be typed faster. For example, if we wanted to use //move ? 5, we could instead type //m ? 5. All shortened names are listed below:

//about

Get information about the WorldEdit mod.

//about

//help [all/]

Get help for WorldEdit commands. all shows all WorldEdit commands, the help text for the given command.

//help
//help all
//help hollowpyramid

//inspect [on/off/1/0/true/false/yes/no/enable/disable]

Enable or disable node inspection.

//inspect on
//inspect off
//inspect

//reset

Reset the region so that it is empty.

//reset

//mark

Show markers at the region positions.

//mark

//unmark

Hide markers if currently shown.

//unmark

//pos1

Set WorldEdit region position 1 to the player's location.

//pos1

//pos2

Set WorldEdit region position 2 to the player's location.

//pos2

//p set/set1/set2/get

Set WorldEdit region, WorldEdit position 1, or WorldEdit position 2 by punching nodes, or print the current WorldEdit region.

//p set
//p set1
//p set2
//p get

//fixedpos set1/set2

Set the WorldEdit region position 1 or 2 to the position (, , ).

//fixedpos set1 0 0 0
//fixedpos set1 -30 5 28
//fixedpos set2 1004 -200 432

//volume

Display the volume of the current WorldEdit region.

//volume

//deleteblocks

Delete the MapBlocks (16x16x16 units) that contain the selected region. This means that mapgen will be invoked for that area. As only whole MapBlocks get removed, the deleted area is usually larger than the selected one. Also, mapgen can trigger mechanisms like mud reflow or cavegen, which affects nodes (up to 112 nodes away) outside the MapBlock, so dont use this near buildings. Note that active entities are not part of a MapBlock and do not get deleted.

//deleteblocks

//set

Set the current WorldEdit region to .

//set air
//set cactus
//set Blue Lightstone
//set dirt with grass

//param2

Set the param2 value of all nodes in the current WorldEdit region to .

//param2 8

//mix [count1] [count2] ...

Fill the current WorldEdit region with a random mix of , , .... Weightings can be optionally specified via the [count1], [count2], ... parameters after a node name.

//mix air
//mix cactus stone glass sandstone
//mix Bronze
//mix default:cobble air
//mix stone 3 dirt 2
//mix cobblestone 8 stoneblock 2 stonebrick

//replace

Replace all instances of with in the current WorldEdit region.

//replace Cobblestone air
//replace lightstone_blue glass
//replace dirt Bronze Block
//replace mesecons:wire_00000000_off flowers:flower_tulip

//replaceinverse

Replace all nodes other than with in the current WorldEdit region.

//replaceinverse Cobblestone air
//replaceinverse flowers:flower_waterlily glass
//replaceinverse dirt Bronze Block
//replaceinverse mesecons:wire_00000000_off flowers:flower_tulip

//hollowcube

Adds a hollow cube with its ground level centered at WorldEdit position 1 with dimensions x x , composed of .

//hollowcube 6 5 6 Diamond Block

//cube

Adds a cube with its ground level centered at WorldEdit position 1 with dimensions x x , composed of .

//cube 6 5 6 Diamond Block
//cube 7 2 1 default:cobble

//hollowsphere

Add hollow sphere centered at WorldEdit position 1 with radius , composed of .

//hollowsphere 5 Diamond Block
//hollowsphere 12 glass
//hollowsphere 17 mesecons:wire_00000000_off

//sphere

Add sphere centered at WorldEdit position 1 with radius , composed of .

//sphere 5 Diamond Block
//sphere 12 glass
//sphere 17 mesecons:wire_00000000_off

//hollowdome

Add hollow dome centered at WorldEdit position 1 with radius , composed of .

//hollowdome 5 Diamond Block
//hollowdome -12 glass
//hollowdome 17 mesecons:wire_00000000_off

//dome

Add dome centered at WorldEdit position 1 with radius , composed of .

//dome 5 Diamond Block
//dome -12 glass
//dome 17 mesecons:wire_00000000_off

//hollowcylinder x/y/z/? [radius2]

Add hollow cylinder at WorldEdit position 1 along the given axis with length , base radius (and top radius [radius2]), composed of .

Despite its name this command allows you to create cones (radius2 = 0) as well as any shapes inbetween (0 < radius2 < radius1). Swapping radius1 and radius2 will create the same object but upside-down.

//hollowcylinder x +5 8 Bronze Block
//hollowcylinder y 28 10 glass
//hollowcylinder z -12 3 mesecons:wire_00000000_off
//hollowcylinder ? 2 4 default:stone

//hollowcylinder y 10 10 0 walls:cobble
//hollowcylinder x 6 0 5 Dirt
//hollowcylinder z 20 10 20 default:desert_stone

//cylinder x/y/z/? [radius2]

Add cylinder at WorldEdit position 1 along the given axis with length , base radius (and top radius [radius2]), composed of . Can also create shapes other than cylinders, e.g. cones (see documentation above).

//cylinder x +5 8 Bronze Block
//cylinder y 28 10 glass
//cylinder z -12 3 mesecons:wire_00000000_off
//cylinder ? 2 4 default:stone

//cylinder y 10 10 0 walls:cobble
//cylinder x 6 0 5 Dirt
//cylinder z 20 10 20 default:desert_stone

//hollowpyramid x/y/z/?

Add hollow pyramid centered at WorldEdit position 1 along the given axis with height composed of .

//hollowpyramid x 8 Diamond Block
//hollowpyramid y -5 glass
//hollowpyramid z 2 mesecons:wire_00000000_off
//hollowpyramid ? 12 mesecons:wire_00000000_off

//pyramid x/y/z/?

Add pyramid centered at WorldEdit position 1 along the given axis with height composed of .

//pyramid x 8 Diamond Block
//pyramid y -5 glass
//pyramid z 2 mesecons:wire_00000000_off
//pyramid ? 12 mesecons:wire_00000000_off

//spiral

Add spiral centered at WorldEdit position 1 with side length , height , space between walls , composed of .

//spiral 20 5 3 Diamond Block
//spiral 5 2 1 glass
//spiral 7 1 5 mesecons:wire_00000000_off

//copy x/y/z/?

Copy the current WorldEdit region along the given axis by nodes.

//copy x 15
//copy y -7
//copy z +4
//copy ? 8

//move x/y/z/?

Move the current WorldEdit positions and region along the given axis by nodes.

//move x 15
//move y -7
//move z +4
//move ? -1

//stack x/y/z/?

Stack the current WorldEdit region along the given axis times.

//stack x 3
//stack y -1
//stack z +5
//stack ? 12

//stack2

Stack the current WorldEdit region times by offset , , .

//stack2 5 3 8 2
//stack2 1 -1 -1 -1

//stretch

Scale the current WorldEdit positions and region by a factor of , , along the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively, with position 1 as the origin.

//stretch 2 2 2
//stretch 1 2 1
//stretch 10 20 1

//transpose x/y/z/? x/y/z/?

Transpose the current WorldEdit positions and region along given axes.

//transpose x y
//transpose y z
//transpose ? y

//flip x/y/z/?

Flip the current WorldEdit region along the given axis.

//flip x
//flip ?

//rotate x/y/z/?

Rotate the current WorldEdit positions and region along the given axis by angle (90 degree increment).

//rotate x 90
//rotate y 180
//rotate z 270
//rotate ? -90

//orient

Rotate oriented nodes in the current WorldEdit region around the Y axis by angle (90 degree increment)

//orient 90
//orient 180
//orient 270
//orient -90

//fixlight

Fixes the lighting in the current WorldEdit region.

//fixlight

//drain

Removes any fluid node within the current WorldEdit region.

//drain

//clearcut

Removes any plant, tree or foilage-like nodes in the selected region. The idea is to remove anything that isn't part of the terrain, leaving a "natural" empty space ready for building.

//clearcut

//hide

Hide all nodes in the current WorldEdit region non-destructively.

//hide

//suppress

Suppress all in the current WorldEdit region non-destructively.

//suppress Diamond Block
//suppress glass
//suppress mesecons:wire_00000000_off

//highlight

Highlight in the current WorldEdit region by hiding everything else non-destructively.

//highlight Diamond Block
//highlight glass
//highlight mesecons:wire_00000000_off

//restore

Restores nodes hidden with WorldEdit in the current WorldEdit region.

//restore

//save

Save the current WorldEdit region to "(world folder)/schems/.we".

//save some random filename
//save huge_base

//allocate

Set the region defined by nodes from "(world folder)/schems/.we" as the current WorldEdit region.

//allocate some random filename
//allocate huge_base

//load

Load nodes from "(world folder)/schems/.we" with position 1 of the current WorldEdit region as the origin.

//load some random filename
//load huge_base

//lua

Executes as a Lua chunk in the global namespace.

//lua worldedit.pos1["singleplayer"] = {x=0, y=0, z=0}
//lua worldedit.rotate(worldedit.pos1["singleplayer"], worldedit.pos2["singleplayer"], "y", 90)

//luatransform

Executes as a Lua chunk in the global namespace with the variable pos available, for each node in the current WorldEdit region.

//luatransform minetest.swap_node(pos, {name="default:stone"})
//luatransform if minetest.get_node(pos).name == "air" then minetest.add_node(pos, {name="default:water_source"}) end

//mtschemcreate

Save the current WorldEdit region using the Minetest Schematic format to "(world folder)/schems/.mts".

//mtschemcreate some random filename
//mtschemcreate huge_base

//mtschemplace

Load nodes from "(world folder)/schems/.mts" with position 1 of the current WorldEdit region as the origin.

//mtschemplace some random filename
//mtschemplace huge_base

//mtschemprob start/finish/get

After using //mtschemprob start all nodes punched will bring up a text field where a probablity can be entered. This mode can be left with //mtschemprob finish. //mtschemprob get will display the probabilities saved for the nodes.

//mtschemprob get

//clearobjects

Clears all objects within the WorldEdit region.

//clearobjects

//shift x/y/z/?/up/down/left/right/front/back [+/-]

Shifts the selection area by [+|-] without moving its contents. The shifting axis can be absolute (x/y/z) or relative (up/down/left/right/front/back).

  //shift left 5

//expand [+/-]x/y/z/?/up/down/left/right/front/back [reverse amount]

Expands the selection by in the selected absolute or relative axis. If specified, the selection can be expanded in the opposite direction over the same axis by [reverse amount].

  //expand right 7 5

//contract [+/-]x/y/z/?/up/down/left/right/front/back [reverse amount]

Contracts the selection by in the selected absolute or relative axis. If specified, the selection can be contracted in the opposite direction over the same axis by [reverse amount].

  //expand right 7 5

//outset [h/v]

Expands the selection in all directions by . If specified, the selection can be expanded horizontally in the x and z axes using h or vertically in the y axis using v.

  //outset v 5

//inset [h/v]

Contracts the selection in all directions by . If specified, the selection can be contracted horizontally in the x and z axes using h or vertically in the y axis using v.

  //inset h 5

//brush none/( [parameters])

Assigns the given to the currently held brush item, it will be ran with the first pointed solid node (as determined via raycast) as WorldEdit position 1 when using that specific brush item. Passing none instead clears the command assigned to the currently held brush item. Note that this functionality requires the worldedit_brush mod enabled.

  //brush cube 8 8 8 Cobblestone
    //brush spr 12 glass
    //brush none

//cubeapply /( ) [parameters]

Selects a cube with side length of around the WorldEdit position 1 and runs the given on the newly selected region. If , and are given, they instead specify the length of the cuboid in X, Y, Z direction. This is mostly useful for brushes since it allows commands such as //replace to be ran, but it can also be used standalone.

  //cubeapply 10 replaceinverse air default:water_source
    //brush cubeapply 15 drain
    //brush cubeapply 12 3 12 drain
    //brush cubeapply 1 deleteblocks