How to Create Your First Custom Item Texture with Variants-CIT

Setting Up the Folder Structure

Variants-CIT reads CIT rules from a folder inside your resource pack. Create a folder named cit at the root of your pack (next to assets and pack.mcmeta). Inside it you can place your .properties files and the textures they reference. Keeping each variant in its own subfolder makes large packs easier to manage, but flat layouts work too.

Writing a Simple Rule

Create a .properties file, for example my_sword.properties. Point it at the item you want to affect using the items key, then define which texture to show with texture. Variants-CIT uses a streamlined format compared to classic CIT, so you usually only need a couple of lines. Reference your PNG by its path relative to the cit folder. Save the file, reload your resource pack with F3+T, and hold the matching item in your inventory to confirm the texture swaps in.

Testing and Iterating

If nothing changes, check that the item name in items matches the registry ID exactly and that the PNG path is correct. Variants-CIT is designed to handle many rules without lag, so you can add more .properties files as you go. Once one variant works, duplicate the file and change the texture to build out a full set.