The build area

What is it?

The GDMC HTTP interface provides a utility feature called the build area: a 3D box that can be set with a command in-game and which can then be retrieved with code.

The purpose of the build area is to be a standardized and in-game way to specify the bounds in which your program should operate. Because it is standardized, it is the main way of doing so in the Generative Design in Minecraft Competition (GDMC). It also saves you the effort of implementing an input system for the build area yourself (such as a command-line interface).

Setting the build area

To set the build area, use the following in-game command:

/setbuildarea <xFrom> <yFrom> <zFrom> <xTo> <yTo> <zTo>

The six parameters should be set to the coordinates of two corners (inclusive) of the desired build area.

The command supports Minecraft’s Relative coordinate notation: a parameter value of ~10 indicates “the player’s position in that axis, plus 10 blocks”. For example, the following command would set the build area to a 64x256x64 box starting at the player’s current (X,Z)-position and spanning from Y=0 to Y=255:

/setbuildarea ~ 0 ~ ~63 255 ~63
../_images/setbuildarea-example.png

Tip

You can re-use a previous /setbuildarea command by pressing Up while the chat is open. This is particularly useful when using relative coordinates, like in the above example.

Retrieving the build area

To retrieve the build area in your program, use Editor.getBuildArea(). It returns the build area as a Box object:

from gdpc import Editor

editor = Editor()

buildArea = editor.getBuildArea()

Note

In GDPC, the build area is merely a suggestion: its bounds are not enforced. It is up to you to request the build area and adhere to it. Future versions may however add (optional) enforcement.