Prelude:
If you’ve played Minecraft creative mode for any decent amount of time, you will have surely heard the word going around that Minecraft blocks translate to real life via the assumption that one block is equivalent to one cubic meter (three cubic feet). Sometimes this connects well with real life; and other times, not.
If you’ve ever thought hard enough, you’ll realize that vanilla-coded doors (henceforth “Notch-doors”) are two blocks high, and one block wide. If we translate that to real life units, we get two meters high (about 6.5 feet high) by one meter wide (about 3.25 feet wide). That’s pretty much the standard dimensions for most doors you’ll encounter in the real world. But now let’s try something different:
If you’re in the United States, and know a bit about house dimensions, you’ll know that an average hallway in most homes is 36” (36 inches, which is roughly one meter). But if we attempt to apply this to Minecraft, we realize that we have a very narrow hallway. Two blocks wide is more comfortable, even though that translates to two meters, which is approximately 6.5 feet. That’s an enormous hallway in real life. So why is it that Minecraft is so strange? Why do the dimensions line up in some cases, but not at all in others?
Truth be told, it’s in the coding. Let’s quickly look at two fundamentals: the character, and the blocks. Steve, your Minecraft character, is two blocks high and one block wide. That’s two meters (6’6”) tall, and one meter (3’) wide. The average height for a male is right around or slightly under six feet, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who is three feet wide around his whole body. There’s our first flaw in calculating dimensions.
Our second lies with the blocks. Every block is huge. If we suppose that they are each a cubic meter, then it means that a couch (which should be about six feet long) translates to right around two blocks. However, what we see is that our couch is actually a loveseat. A couch should be three blocks long. But wait! That’s a nine-foot long couch; that’s huge!
Thus it has come to my attention time and time again when trying to figure out how to translate a plan from real life into Minecraft. It’s hard work, but it can be done. Instead of thinking in terms of meters or feet, inches or centimeters, yards or miles, we have to think in terms of Bl (the abbreviated form of “blocks”), which is the essence of the Minecraft Standard system (henceforth “MCL”). Let’s dive in.
MCL – The Basics:
Since this is an architectural guide, and I assume that you’ll be utilizing this while playing in Creative mode (with the intent to be, well, creative). So we’ll cover the basics now, in easy-to-read bullet format:
Ceiling Heights
• Attic/Small Basement ceiling – 2 Bl
• Small house/Cozy ceiling – 3 Bl
• Average/Comfortable ceiling – 4 Bl
• High Ceiling – 5 Bl
• Corporate/Church ceiling – 6-8 Bl Wall Thicknesses
• Standard/Bare wall – 1 Bl
• Wallpaper/Covered wall – 2 Bl
• Fortified wall – 3 Bl minimum Window Dimensions (Height x Width; if “N”, any number can substitute)
• Porthole – 1x1 Bl
• Basement windows – 1xN Bl
• Standard windows – 2xN Bl
• Large windows – 3xN Bl Floor/Ceiling Thicknesses
• Attic/Basement floor – 1 Bl
• Average floor – 2 Bl Roof Angles (Slope: y/x; if “N”, any number can substitute)
• 0 degrees – 0/N Bl
• 15 degrees – 1/3 Bl
• 30 degrees – 1/2 Bl
• 45 degrees – 1/1 Bl
• 60 degrees – 2/1 Bl
• 75 degrees – 3/1 Bl
• 90 degrees – N/0 Bl
MCL – Common Room Sizes:
In America (yes, this guide focuses a lot on America, since that is where I am from), there are several standard sizes for things, usually measured in square footage. I will show you the average size in square feet (for metric approximation, divide by three), as well as the block size. Please note that because of the way Minecraft works, and that furniture is bigger or smaller than it might be in real life, dimensions will vary; the dimensions of a living room may equate to one block dimension, while the same dimensions for a bedroom may equate to a different block dimension.
Garages:
• One-Car Garage (14’ x 21’) – 9 x 14 Bl
• Two-Car/Oversized Garage (24’ x 24’) – 16 x 16 Bl Living Rooms:
• Small Living Room (12’ x 12’) – 8 x 9 Bl
• Medium/Large Living Room (15’ x 15’) – 11 x 11 Bl
• Luxury Size Living Room (20’ x 20’ or more) – 14 x 14 Bl Kitchens:
• Small Kitchen (8’ x 8’) – 8 x 6 Bl
• Average Kitchen (10’ x 10’) – 9 x 8 Bl
• Spacious Kitchen (15’ x 15’) – 11 x 11 Bl Bedrooms:
• Small Bedroom (10’ x 12’) – 9 x 8 Bl
• Large Bedroom (11’ x 10’) – 11 x 10 Bl
• Master Bedroom (16’ x 15’) – 12 x 13 Bl Bathrooms:
• 1/2 Bathroom (6’ x 7’) – 6 x 7 Bl
• Standard Bathroom (7’ x 9’) – 7 x 9 Bl
• Master Bathroom (12’ x 12’) – 9 x 10 Bl
• Suite Spa/Retreat (12’ x 17’) – 11 x 11 Bl
Complications – A.K.A. Trees:
There are always complications with any unit of length or dimension. In our case, it has to do with trees. From my own experimentation and intuition, it turns out that trees in Minecraft (realistically made ones; not “Notch” trees) end up at the same scale as in real life. For example, the White Oak Tree.
As proof of concept, here we have our White Oak Tree:
Conclusion:
All this said, Minecraft is really fun, and scaling into dimensions is part of the fun. Floor planning is great too. However, as we realize over time, meters and feet are not always the answer, and often create spaces that are too small and cramped. Thus it is up to us and our intuitive minds to come up with new dimensions and scales. This is Blocks, and it is the Minecraft Standard System. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, write them in the comments below, and I will be happy to answer.
Very nice work you done there! Definitely good for beginners or people who experience difficulities with proportion!
This is not really meant for beginners, so much as a game-wide standard. Would you say that measuring in feet or meters is for beginners in real life architectural design?
It is going to be hard to make it a "game wide" standard. I really do like that the concept though. I try and follow similar standards with my buildings.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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Hmm, I would say architectural design in real life would use more centimeters then just meters or feet, but that's a little out of the scope of minecraft obviously.
All in all it's an interesting set of notions and derived units or block sizes to dabble with, allthough I have a slight feeling floor sizes for rooms in the States seem to be bigger then over here in Europe.
Hmm, I would say architectural design in real life would use more centimeters then just meters or feet, but that's a little out of the scope of minecraft obviously.
All in all it's an interesting set of notions and derived units or block sizes to dabble with, allthough I have a slight feeling floor sizes for rooms in the States seem to be bigger then over here in Europe.
Greetings from nighttime Amsterdam,
Jan
I would definitely say that's true. It's probably got to do with the fact that the US is way younger than most countries in Europe, which means there are way less houses, buildings, and people that have passed through, which by extension means that we have more open space and thus, typically, bigger houses. As I said, this mostly focuses on American sizes, since I'm American. If you'd like to though, it'd be awesome to have an EU version of the guide.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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Posts:
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Well, that would be a neat idea. I had to do some head aritmetic to get a feel for your sizes in feet before I noticed though the floor sizes where bigger as I expected. I'll see if I can get something European together the upcoming days, sizewise of course.
One thing is easy, the tree sizes will be the same unless you're talking Giant Sequoias.
and this is why i do mostly fantasy building. I don't have to worry about proportions or realism at all. Much more freedom.
(PS: my sig is linked to my builds if your interested)
Well, that would be a neat idea. I had to do some head aritmetic to get a feel for your sizes in feet before I noticed though the floor sizes where bigger as I expected. I'll see if I can get something European together the upcoming days, sizewise of course.
One thing is easy, the tree sizes will be the same unless you're talking Giant Sequoias.
Greetings from nighttime Amsterdam,
Jan
Haha. What I did is I looked at the average sizes of common rooms and such in real life, and then I started working in MC to estimate the equivalent (assuming we had built furniture and stuff), and then measured out that in blocks. You may find it helpful for the EU version.
and this is why i do mostly fantasy building. I don't have to worry about proportions or realism at all. Much more freedom.
(PS: my sig is linked to my builds if your interested)
Ah, PMC account. I'll comment on your stuff there. :3
This is a good guide, though there are a few things that are off (like the part about doors being 6.5' by 3.5', they're actually 7.5' by 3 or 3.5', occasionally four, to allow wheel chairs, furniture, and taller people through) but those are just technicalities. good work
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*sees horde of skeletons, zombies, creepers and spiders on the hillside*
"... Balls deep." *charges into battle with a -ton of TNT.
This is a good guide, though there are a few things that are off (like the part about doors being 6.5' by 3.5', they're actually 7.5' by 3 or 3.5', occasionally four, to allow wheel chairs, furniture, and taller people through) but those are just technicalities. good work
I did not say they were 3.5' wide. I said they were 3.25 meters (which is just barely above 3'). Standard doors are about 6.7' by 3'. Commercial doors must allow for larger doors for those things, yes. But the standard foor in the American home is roughly 6'7 by 3'.
Prelude:
If you’ve played Minecraft creative mode for any decent amount of time, you will have surely heard the word going around that Minecraft blocks translate to real life via the assumption that one block is equivalent to one cubic meter (three cubic feet). Sometimes this connects well with real life; and other times, not.
If you’ve ever thought hard enough, you’ll realize that vanilla-coded doors (henceforth “Notch-doors”) are two blocks high, and one block wide. If we translate that to real life units, we get two meters high (about 6.5 feet high) by one meter wide (about 3.25 feet wide). That’s pretty much the standard dimensions for most doors you’ll encounter in the real world. But now let’s try something different:
If you’re in the United States, and know a bit about house dimensions, you’ll know that an average hallway in most homes is 36” (36 inches, which is roughly one meter). But if we attempt to apply this to Minecraft, we realize that we have a very narrow hallway. Two blocks wide is more comfortable, even though that translates to two meters, which is approximately 6.5 feet. That’s an enormous hallway in real life. So why is it that Minecraft is so strange? Why do the dimensions line up in some cases, but not at all in others?
Truth be told, it’s in the coding. Let’s quickly look at two fundamentals: the character, and the blocks. Steve, your Minecraft character, is two blocks high and one block wide. That’s two meters (6’6”) tall, and one meter (3’) wide. The average height for a male is right around or slightly under six feet, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who is three feet wide around his whole body. There’s our first flaw in calculating dimensions.
Our second lies with the blocks. Every block is huge. If we suppose that they are each a cubic meter, then it means that a couch (which should be about six feet long) translates to right around two blocks. However, what we see is that our couch is actually a loveseat. A couch should be three blocks long. But wait! That’s a nine-foot long couch; that’s huge!
Thus it has come to my attention time and time again when trying to figure out how to translate a plan from real life into Minecraft. It’s hard work, but it can be done. Instead of thinking in terms of meters or feet, inches or centimeters, yards or miles, we have to think in terms of Bl (the abbreviated form of “blocks”), which is the essence of the Minecraft Standard system (henceforth “MCL”). Let’s dive in.
MCL – The Basics:
Since this is an architectural guide, and I assume that you’ll be utilizing this while playing in Creative mode (with the intent to be, well, creative). So we’ll cover the basics now, in easy-to-read bullet format:
Ceiling Heights
• Attic/Small Basement ceiling – 2 Bl
• Small house/Cozy ceiling – 3 Bl
• Average/Comfortable ceiling – 4 Bl
• High Ceiling – 5 Bl
• Corporate/Church ceiling – 6-8 Bl
Wall Thicknesses
• Standard/Bare wall – 1 Bl
• Wallpaper/Covered wall – 2 Bl
• Fortified wall – 3 Bl minimum
Window Dimensions (Height x Width; if “N”, any number can substitute)
• Porthole – 1x1 Bl
• Basement windows – 1xN Bl
• Standard windows – 2xN Bl
• Large windows – 3xN Bl
Floor/Ceiling Thicknesses
• Attic/Basement floor – 1 Bl
• Average floor – 2 Bl
Roof Angles (Slope: y/x; if “N”, any number can substitute)
• 0 degrees – 0/N Bl
• 15 degrees – 1/3 Bl
• 30 degrees – 1/2 Bl
• 45 degrees – 1/1 Bl
• 60 degrees – 2/1 Bl
• 75 degrees – 3/1 Bl
• 90 degrees – N/0 Bl
MCL – Common Room Sizes:
In America (yes, this guide focuses a lot on America, since that is where I am from), there are several standard sizes for things, usually measured in square footage. I will show you the average size in square feet (for metric approximation, divide by three), as well as the block size. Please note that because of the way Minecraft works, and that furniture is bigger or smaller than it might be in real life, dimensions will vary; the dimensions of a living room may equate to one block dimension, while the same dimensions for a bedroom may equate to a different block dimension.
Garages:
• One-Car Garage (14’ x 21’) – 9 x 14 Bl
• Two-Car/Oversized Garage (24’ x 24’) – 16 x 16 Bl
Living Rooms:
• Small Living Room (12’ x 12’) – 8 x 9 Bl
• Medium/Large Living Room (15’ x 15’) – 11 x 11 Bl
• Luxury Size Living Room (20’ x 20’ or more) – 14 x 14 Bl
Kitchens:
• Small Kitchen (8’ x 8’) – 8 x 6 Bl
• Average Kitchen (10’ x 10’) – 9 x 8 Bl
• Spacious Kitchen (15’ x 15’) – 11 x 11 Bl
Bedrooms:
• Small Bedroom (10’ x 12’) – 9 x 8 Bl
• Large Bedroom (11’ x 10’) – 11 x 10 Bl
• Master Bedroom (16’ x 15’) – 12 x 13 Bl
Bathrooms:
• 1/2 Bathroom (6’ x 7’) – 6 x 7 Bl
• Standard Bathroom (7’ x 9’) – 7 x 9 Bl
• Master Bathroom (12’ x 12’) – 9 x 10 Bl
• Suite Spa/Retreat (12’ x 17’) – 11 x 11 Bl
Complications – A.K.A. Trees:
There are always complications with any unit of length or dimension. In our case, it has to do with trees. From my own experimentation and intuition, it turns out that trees in Minecraft (realistically made ones; not “Notch” trees) end up at the same scale as in real life. For example, the White Oak Tree.
Details:
• 3-foot trunk diameter (approx. 1 meter/block)
• 70’ – 80’ height (approx. 27 meters/blocks)
• 50’ spread (approx. 17 meters/blocks)
As proof of concept, here we have our White Oak Tree:
Conclusion:
All this said, Minecraft is really fun, and scaling into dimensions is part of the fun. Floor planning is great too. However, as we realize over time, meters and feet are not always the answer, and often create spaces that are too small and cramped. Thus it is up to us and our intuitive minds to come up with new dimensions and scales. This is Blocks, and it is the Minecraft Standard System. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, write them in the comments below, and I will be happy to answer.
hello!
This is not really meant for beginners, so much as a game-wide standard. Would you say that measuring in feet or meters is for beginners in real life architectural design?
Thanks for the guide though!
All in all it's an interesting set of notions and derived units or block sizes to dabble with, allthough I have a slight feeling floor sizes for rooms in the States seem to be bigger then over here in Europe.
Greetings from nighttime Amsterdam,
Jan
I would definitely say that's true. It's probably got to do with the fact that the US is way younger than most countries in Europe, which means there are way less houses, buildings, and people that have passed through, which by extension means that we have more open space and thus, typically, bigger houses. As I said, this mostly focuses on American sizes, since I'm American. If you'd like to though, it'd be awesome to have an EU version of the guide.
One thing is easy, the tree sizes will be the same unless you're talking Giant Sequoias.
Greetings from nighttime Amsterdam,
Jan
(PS: my sig is linked to my builds if your interested)
Haha. What I did is I looked at the average sizes of common rooms and such in real life, and then I started working in MC to estimate the equivalent (assuming we had built furniture and stuff), and then measured out that in blocks. You may find it helpful for the EU version.
Ah, PMC account. I'll comment on your stuff there. :3
"... Balls deep." *charges into battle with a -ton of TNT.
I did not say they were 3.5' wide. I said they were 3.25 meters (which is just barely above 3'). Standard doors are about 6.7' by 3'. Commercial doors must allow for larger doors for those things, yes. But the standard foor in the American home is roughly 6'7 by 3'.
EDIT: And thank you for the praise.