textures-atlas

textures-atlas was a texture atlas initially used to store all block and item textures, and was later used for many other types of textures before being split into a series of other atlases.

textures-atlas, upon first introduction, was a fixed-width 512×512-pixel file that was split into different 16×16-pixel squares for most blocks and items, although flowing liquids used 32×32. The size would later expand to 2048×1024 in its final versions of use.

While initially only used for blocks, fluids, items, the block breaking animation, and item frames, it would eventually see use for many other objects of the game:

• Banners
• Shields
• Banner patterns, both those on banners and on shields
• Signs
• Chests
• Shulker boxes
• Beds
• Bells
• Conduits
• The book on top of enchanting tables

The missing texture also remained present in each version.

As textures-atlas is only generated for internal usage by the game, it is often never visible in its entirety. However, from its introduction in 14w25a up until 1.8, copies of it would be produced in the .minecraft folder for debug purposes; this was removed in the first pre-release for 1.8.1.

As the UV mapping for block and item models is unbounded, custom models can be used to view the atlas in-game in full, though high-quality copies will not be obtainable through this method.

From 19w41a, resource packs can also display the atlas using shader tricks. This can be used to view several different atlases before changes in 21w10a make this impossible. An example resource pack can be found here in the Minecraft Commands discord server alongside instructions.

Up to four mipmapped versions of each atlas would also be generated by the game, depending on the current values in Video Settings. The textures would be shrunk to 8×8, 4×4, 2×2 and 1×1, and would render instead of the normal textures at far distances or sharp angles of incidence.