A server-side data pack/mod for Minecraft 1.17.x-26.2.x
| Support for 26.3 is in the works! |
➜ The mod version of this data pack can be found here
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For heavily modded setups, modpacks, as well as for playing on external servers, I recommend LambDynamicLights or similar client-side mods instead.
There is a dedicated page about this in the wiki with more info |
💡 Features
This data pack brings dynamic lighting to Minecraft without any client-side requirements. Supported entities and items (like torches, glowstone, or enchanted gear), held or worn by players, mobs, or placed in item frames, will emit light using the light block added in Snapshot 21w13a.
- 50+ supported vanilla items out of the box
- Multiple light levels: 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15
- Water-sensitive behavior with sounds for some items
- Enchanted items glow by default (light level 6), with special cases for Fire Aspect, Riptide, Channeling (light level 9)
- Amethyst-trimmed armor emits light
- Mobs, falling blocks, and display entities can emit light if carrying a supported item
Curios API support for modded inventory slots See issue #76
Since this project is completely server-side, players joining a server with Dynamic Lights installed will not need to install anything on their end for it to work!
➜ For a complete list of supported items & entities, and available settings, take a look at the wiki
ℹ️ Limitations
Since this is a data pack at its core, there are some limitations compared to other purely modded solutions.
- Dynamic Lights may stutter while moving around. This project solely relies on vanilla light blocks, which are restricted to the block grid. Smooth transitions between blocks are not feasible
- This pack currently uses marker entities to keep track of dynamic light positions. If these entities are cleared by you or plugins like EntityTrackerFixer, light blocks will be left behind. See issue #25
- Vanilla light blocks are unfortunately immovable by pistons and block explosion damage. This can cause some redstone contraptions to malfunction. Please report any issues, I try to prevent common cases. See e.g. fixed issues #51, #15, #12, #10
- In Minecraft 1.21.4 and below, dynamic light updates will always trigger block updates. This could cause floating blocks affected by gravity, like sand or gravel, to fall
- Some shader packs that ignore the vanilla lightmap, such as Rethinking Voxels, will not display the dynamic lights. See issue #59
- Dynamic Lights cannot function in 1x1 block spaces occupied by non-solid blocks, as there is simply no space for placing light blocks. See issues #39 and #43
- Dynamic Lights per player operate globally. See a detailed explanation here
🔧 Installation & Use
Download the pack and put the .zip file into the datapacks folder of your Minecraft world.
This data pack is also available as a mod with an additional global config file and settings menu when installed alongside MidnightLib.
To manage settings, reset, or uninstall the pack, use /trigger tschipcraft.menu or /function #tschipcraft:menu.
🧩 Compatibility
This data pack implements the Smithed and essential MC Datapacks Discord Server Conventions to ensure data pack compatibility.
🔗 External Links
🤝 Partner Offers
