Creating Custom Glazed Terracotta Blocks

From a technical standpoint, vanilla glazed terracotta is just a standard unit cube with three distinct traits: horizontal rotation, stone-tier mining speed, and a specific reaction to pistons. When a player places the block, the top texture aligns with the direction they are looking, allowing four identical blocks to meet at their corners to form a larger 2x2 mosaic.

The Behavior Pack handles the placement logic and physical properties. Instead of writing legacy Molang placement filters to detect player rotation, modern Bedrock blocks use the placement_direction trait. This built-in trait automatically injects a block state into your block and reads the player's horizontal look angle at the exact moment the block is placed in the world.

One detail that catches some creators off guard is piston interaction. Vanilla glazed terracotta can be pushed by pistons, but sticky pistons cannot pull it back. Currently, the data-driven block format does not expose a stable JSON component to explicitly control piston push or pull rules on custom blocks, so your block will inherit the default push-and-pull behavior of standard custom blocks while replicating everything else.

To set up the block, create a JSON file inside your Behavior Pack's blocks directory. The key to making the pattern rotate is combining the minecraft:placement_direction trait in the description block with a list of permutations that read the minecraft:cardinal_direction state. We also apply a y_rotation offset of 180 degrees to the trait so the primary side of the block faces back toward the player upon placement, matching vanilla terracotta behavior.

Notice that while you could use the standard minecraft:unit_cube geometry, the minecraft:transformation component works most reliably when paired with an explicit geometry identifier and minecraft:material_instances. Using the built-in minecraft:geometry.full_block identifier gives us a standard 16x16x16 cube that responds cleanly to permutation rotations without needing a custom model file in the Resource Pack.

{
  "format_version": "1.20.80",
  "minecraft:block": {
    "description": {
      "identifier": "wiki:azure_glazed_terracotta",
      "menu_category": {
        "category": "construction",
        "group": "itemGroup.name.glazedTerracotta"
      },
      "traits": {
        "minecraft:placement_direction": {
          "enabled_states": [
            "minecraft:cardinal_direction"
          ],
          "y_rotation_offset": 180.0
        }
      }
    },
    "components": {
      "minecraft:geometry": "minecraft:geometry.full_block",
      "minecraft:material_instances": {
        "*": {
          "texture": "azure_glazed_terracotta",
          "render_method": "opaque"
        }
      },
      "minecraft:destructible_by_mining": {
        "seconds_to_destroy": 1.4
      },
      "minecraft:destructible_by_explosion": {
        "explosion_resistance": 1.4
      },
      "minecraft:map_color": "#336699"
    },
    "permutations": [
      {
        "condition": "q.block_state('minecraft:cardinal_direction') == 'north'",
        "components": {
          "minecraft:transformation": {
            "rotation": [0, 0, 0]
          }
        }
      },
      {
        "condition": "q.block_state('minecraft:cardinal_direction') == 'west'",
        "components": {
          "minecraft:transformation": {
            "rotation": [0, 90, 0]
          }
        }
      },
      {
        "condition": "q.block_state('minecraft:cardinal_direction') == 'south'",
        "components": {
          "minecraft:transformation": {
            "rotation": [0, 180, 0]
          }
        }
      },
      {
        "condition": "q.block_state('minecraft:cardinal_direction') == 'east'",
        "components": {
          "minecraft:transformation": {
            "rotation": [0, 270, 0]
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Every component in the behavior definition serves a specific role in making the block feel native to the survival game. While the permutations handle the directional artwork, the base components establish the hardness, blast resistance, and visual rendering pipeline.

The table below breaks down the exact components and traits used in the definition above and explains how they interact.

Because our Behavior Pack block uses minecraft:material_instances and an explicit geometry, it bypasses the isotropic face-randomization found in blocks.json, ensuring our pattern stays locked to our permutation rotations. However, you still need an entry in the Resource Pack's blocks.json file to assign the stone sound effect when players walk on, place, or break the block.

You also need to register the texture shortname in terrain_texture.json. When painting your 16x16 pixel art in an image editor, draw the mosaic corner (such as the center of a circle or the tip of an arrow) in the top-left corner of the canvas. As the transformation component rotates the block around the Y-axis in 90-degree increments, that top-left corner will swing around to meet adjacent blocks, completing your 2x2 pattern.

{
  "resource_pack_name": "wiki_terracotta_rp",
  "texture_name": "atlas.terrain",
  "padding": 8,
  "num_mip_levels": 4,
  "texture_data": {
    "azure_glazed_terracotta": {
      "textures": "textures/blocks/azure_glazed_terracotta"
    }
  }
}

Without a blocks.json entry, your custom terracotta will make a generic dirt or grass sound when broken. Adding the sound property fixes this without overriding the geometry or materials defined in the Behavior Pack. Make sure the identifier matches your Behavior Pack identifier exactly, including the namespace.

Finally, remember to add a localization line to your RP/texts/en_US.lang file using the format tile.wiki:azure_glazed_terracotta.name=Azure Glazed Terracotta so the block displays a clean name in the creative inventory.

{
  "format_version": "1.20.80",
  "wiki:azure_glazed_terracotta": {
    "sound": "stone"
  }
}

Applies to Bedrock Edition 1.20.80 and newer. All components, traits, and built-in geometries shown here are completely stable and do not require any experimental toggles to be enabled in the world settings.

Read out of the game itself, so the ids match the version you are building for.