.bbmodel, Java, Bedrock: Which File Do You Actually Need?

People ask why a model comes in several files. Each format answers a different question.

.bbmodel — the working file

This is the project: cubes, bones, textures, animations, all editable. It is what you keep, what you send a collaborator, and what you re-open in a year to fix something. It is not what a server reads.

Java model JSON — the vanilla resource pack format

A block or item model for Java Edition. Flat, no bones, no animation, and rotation is constrained: a single axis per element, and older versions only accept angles in 22.5° steps. Our validator flags those before you export, so the pack does not silently fail in game.

Bedrock geometry and animations

Two files: .geo.json for the shape with its bone hierarchy, .animation.json for the movement. Bedrock keeps bones, so this is the format that carries animation.

And what plugins want

Plugins like ModelEngine consume the Blockbench project or a Bedrock-style geometry depending on version — check the plugin's own documentation, since this is the part that changes most often between releases.

What to ship a buyer

Ship the .bbmodel plus whatever the target platform needs. The project file is what makes your product worth its price: it means the buyer can adjust a colour or a proportion instead of asking you for a variant.

All three exports are in the free editor's Export menu, alongside the validation count for Java.