Making Ores Pop While Mining with Nautilus3D

Which ores are covered

Nautilus3D retextures both the stone and deepslate variants of Coal, Copper, Iron, Gold, Redstone, Lapis Lazuli, Diamond, and Emerald ore, plus Nether Gold Ore and Nether Quartz Ore. The new textures are higher resolution and use 3D geometry, so the mineral chunks sit proud of the rock instead of being painted flat.

Spotting ores underground

Light level matters more than ever. The raised 3D crystals catch light differently depending on which direction you approach from, so a vein can look dim from one tunnel and bright from another. Carry a light source and place it as you dig — torches or a lantern make the highlights readable and stop you from walking past a vein.

Because the ore geometry protrudes, exposed ores on a cave wall are easier to notice at a distance than vanilla. Sweep your view slowly along walls rather than sprinting past. Deepslate ores keep their darker base, so the contrast between the ore and the surrounding deepslate is what you are scanning for. If you use the pack alongside a fullbright or night vision effect, the 3D shading flattens out and ores become harder to distinguish — mining with normal lighting actually helps here.