ModelViewer

Discord for communication and bug reports: @swakoza

ModelViewer is a client-side Fabric mod for Minecraft Java Edition that helps you understand which item model is actually being used in the game.

The mod shows the model path, the active resource pack, the final model JSON, the parent chain, bound textures, missing resources, and the full path Minecraft followed to reach the selected model.

It is especially useful for people working with resource packs, custom items, custom_model_data, and Blockbench models.

What is this mod for?

Usually, when an item model does not display correctly or does not display at all, you have to manually search for the correct file in the resource pack, check overrides, paths, textures, parents, and other JSON files.

ModelViewer does this directly in-game.

You select an item, and the mod shows where its model came from, which resource pack won, which files were found, which ones are missing, and what exactly Minecraft is trying to render.

What can ModelViewer do?

• Inspect the item in the main hand.
• Inspect the item in the offhand.
• Inspect the item under the cursor in the inventory.
• Inspect nearby items: item entities, item frames, and item displays.
• Show the active minecraft:item_model.
• Find the item definition from the active resource packs.
• Show the resource pack that actually won.
• Show overridden variants from other resource packs.
• Recursively analyze the item model tree.
• Show the final model JSON, if it exists.
• Show the model parent chain.
• Show texture bindings.
• Find missing item definitions, models, and textures.
• Update after resource reloads, for example after pressing F3 + T.

Support for modern item models

ModelViewer can analyze modern item model structures, including:

• model
• condition
• select
• range_dispatch
• composite
• empty
• bundle_selected_item
• special

It also supports the modern minecraft:custom_model_data format:

• floats
• flags
• strings
• colors

This is useful when a resource pack uses complex conditions, different model variants, or custom item data.

Opening models in Blockbench

ModelViewer can open the found model directly in Blockbench.

If the model is located in a regular resource pack folder, the mod opens the original JSON file.

If the model is located inside a zipped resource pack, the mod creates a local working folder and copies the required model files, parent models, and linked textures there, so Blockbench can open the model correctly.

This removes the need to manually search for files inside resource packs.

Inspector screen

In the detailed inspector window, you can see:

• an item preview;
• the active item_model;
• the path to the item definition;
• the winning resource pack;
• the model trace tree;
• the final model path;
• the parent chain;
• bound textures;
• warnings and missing resources.

Available actions:

• switch the inspection target;
• copy the item ID;
• copy the item path;
• copy the model path;
• copy metadata;
• refresh data;
• find models;
• open the model in Blockbench;
• open the folder containing the file;
• extract the resource pack;
• inspect nearby entities;
• copy the visible player’s PNG skin.

Inspecting nearby entities

The mod can show nearby entities and items that can be inspected.

The menu includes search and sorting:

• alphabetically;
• by distance;
• by category.

You can also open the equipment screen of the selected entity or player and inspect the items they are holding or wearing in armor slots.

Hotkeys

Key	Action
F6	Switch inspection target: auto / main hand / offhand
F7	Open the detailed inspector screen
F8	Toggle the HUD overlay on or off
F9	Toggle auto-inspect on or off
F10	Copy a short result to the clipboard

Who is this mod for?

ModelViewer is useful for:

• resource pack creators;
• model authors;
• Blockbench users;
• modpack developers;
• server administrators using custom items;
• anyone fixing broken models;
• anyone working with custom_model_data.

If you need to understand why an item is showing the wrong model, which resource pack is overriding it, or where the required JSON file is located, this mod can greatly speed up your work.