Fieldwright

A client-side blueprint and build-along tool for Vintage Story. Copy a region with an anchor corner, save it as a blueprint file, then paste a translucent ghost that snaps to your crosshair and auto-rotates to face you. Rebuild the structure block-by-block in survival or creative with a live material checklist showing what you have versus what you still need.

Status: v0.1.1. Selection, save/load, ghost render with snap-to-look, place toggle, match tracking, checklist HUD, schematic library UI, layer-by-layer view, 3-axis mirror, three matching modes, and red highlights on blocks to clear. Chiseled-block voxel matching is Phase 4 (v0.2).

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Features

• Translucent ghost preview. Saved blueprints render as a see-through 3D copy of the structure, visible only to the local player.
• Snap-to-look placement with auto-rotation. While in floating mode, the ghost follows your crosshair and auto-rotates so the anchor's saved player-facing side faces you. No rotate keys needed for most placements.
• 3-axis mirror toggle. Cycle the floating or placed ghost through X, Y, Z mirrors with a single hotkey. Applied in the local frame so it composes correctly with rotation.
• Schematic library UI. Browse saved blueprints in a native dialog with size, block count, anchor face, modified date, and a "has backup" badge. Per-row Paste and Delete with two-step confirmation.
• Layer-by-layer view. Peel layers off the top of the placed ghost with PgDn / PgUp so you can see interior layers of tall builds.
• Three matching modes. Loose ("any cobble for any cobble"), Medium (variant-aware: type matters, orientation doesn't), or Strict (exact block code). Default is Loose; configurable per-paste or globally.
• Live build-along checklist. Top-left HUD shows materials needed (with clean labels regardless of matching mode), what's currently in your hotbar + backpack, and a real-time progress bar.
• Red highlight on blocks to clear. Cells that should be air (or that hold the wrong block) get a translucent red overlay so you can locate them in 3D.
• Auto-completion. When every cell matches and no extra blocks remain, the ghost and HUD auto-dismiss after a short countdown.
• Overwrite protection. Saving over an existing name requires an explicit overwrite keyword and creates a single rolling .bak.json backup. Restore with .fw restore <name>.
• Pure client-side. No server install required. No network packets sent, no world mutations, no other players see anything. Works on any server that whitelists the mod.
• Mod config file at %APPDATA%/VintagestoryData/ModConfig/Fieldwright.json. Tune ghost alpha, render distance, HUD position, auto-dismiss timeout, default matching mode.

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Install

1. Download the latest release .zip from the Releases page (or the ModDB listing).
2. Drop the zip into %APPDATA%/VintagestoryData/Mods/. Vintage Story will load it on next launch.

Or unpack the contents (modinfo.json + Fieldwright.dll) into a folder at %APPDATA%/VintagestoryData/Mods/fieldwright/.

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Quick start

Save a blueprint

1. Stand at one corner of the structure you want to copy. Look at the corner block (the face you aim at becomes the saved "front" for auto-rotation later).
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+B to set corner 1 (also the placement anchor).
3. Walk to the diagonally opposite top corner. Look at it.
4. Press Ctrl+Shift+N to set corner 2. Chat shows the bounding size.
5. Optional: use .fw grow up 1 / .fw shrink north 2 etc. to adjust faces.
6. Run .fw save my-house. Selection clears and a JSON file is written to %APPDATA%/VintagestoryData/Blueprints/my-house.json.

Paste and build along

1. Travel anywhere (any world, any server).
2. .fw paste my-house. A translucent ghost appears, following your crosshair.
3. Aim at a block face where you want to build. The ghost rotates automatically so its saved front faces you.
4. Press Ctrl+Shift+P when the position looks right. The ghost locks and the checklist HUD opens.
5. Place real blocks at the ghost cells. Each match decrements the checklist. Wrong-position blocks appear under "Blocks to remove".
6. When everything matches, the ghost auto-dismisses after about 5 seconds.

If you need to reposition mid-build, press Ctrl+Shift+P again to unlock. The HUD closes and the ghost goes back to floating.

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Commands and hotkeys

Action	Hotkey	Chat command
Set corner 1 (placement anchor)	Ctrl+Shift+B	.fw corner1
Set corner 2	Ctrl+Shift+N	.fw corner2
Grow selection on a face		.fw grow <up|down|north|south|east|west> [n]
Shrink selection on a face		.fw shrink <up|down|north|south|east|west> [n]
Show selection status		.fw status
Clear selection only		.fw clear
Save selection as blueprint		.fw save <name> [overwrite]
List saved blueprints (text)		.fw list
Open the blueprint library UI	Ctrl+Shift+K	.fw library
Paste a blueprint (floating ghost)		.fw paste <name> [loose|medium|strict]
Toggle place / unlock ghost	Ctrl+Shift+P	.fw place
Cycle ghost mirror axis	Ctrl+Shift+M	.fw mirror
Restore/peel ghost layers	PgUp / PgDn
Toggle checklist HUD	Ctrl+Shift+L
Cancel: dismiss ghost + clear selection	Ctrl+Shift+X	.fw cancel
Restore a blueprint from its rolling backup		.fw restore <name>

Hotkeys are rebindable in Settings → Controls → Mod controls under "Fieldwright".

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Blueprint files

Saved as JSON under %APPDATA%/VintagestoryData/Blueprints/{name}.json. The format wraps the standard Vintage Story BlockSchematic payload with an anchor offset and an anchor face:

{
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "anchorOffset": { "x": 0, "y": 0, "z": 0 },
  "anchorFace": "north",
  "schematic": { ... standard BlockSchematic JSON ... }
}

Bare BlockSchematic files (e.g. exports from WorldEdit or BetterRuins) load as well, with an implicit anchor at the schematic's min corner and no auto-rotation.

File ownership: blueprint files are yours. The mod claims no rights over their content. Share them freely.

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Server compatibility

Fieldwright is fully client-side:

• No network packets sent or received.
• No world mutations. Real blocks are placed through Vintage Story's normal channels and validated by the server.
• Other players cannot see your ghost, HUD, or selection box.

It works on any vanilla server out of the box. However, some servers run a strict mod allowlist that rejects unknown client mods at connection time, even read-only ones. If you can't connect with Fieldwright installed, ask the server admin to add fieldwright to their allowed-mods list:

Could you add fieldwright to the server's allowed-mods list? It's a client-side blueprint-preview tool, no network packets, no world changes. Same risk profile as a minimap mod.

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Build from source

Requires .NET 10 SDK and a Vintage Story install.

git clone https://github.com/Lueken/Fieldwright.git
cd Fieldwright
$env:VINTAGE_STORY = "$env:APPDATA\Vintagestory"
dotnet build -c Debug

Build output lands in bin/Debug/Mods/. Copy the Fieldwright.dll and modinfo.json into a folder at %APPDATA%/VintagestoryData/Mods/fieldwright/.

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Roadmap

• v0.1.0 (shipped 2026-05-18): selection, save/load, ghost, snap-to-look, match tracking, checklist HUD.
• v0.1.1 (current): library UI, layer view, 3-axis mirror, three matching modes, red highlights for blocks to clear, mod config file, .fw restore, combined cancel hotkey.
• v0.2.0 headline: Phase 4 chisel voxel overlay. Per-voxel red/green/yellow hints on chiseled positions plus proper schematic-transform rotation so block variants rotate correctly with the ghost.
• Smaller backlog: localization scaffold, modicon.png replacing the ModDB default, multiple named active ghosts simultaneously.

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Contributing

Bug reports and pull requests welcome at github.com/Lueken/Fieldwright/issues. When reporting issues, please include:

• Vintage Story version
• Mod version (from modinfo.json)
• Steps to reproduce
• Relevant lines from %APPDATA%/VintagestoryData/Logs/client-main.log (search for [fieldwright:)

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License

Code is MIT licensed. See LICENSE. Blueprint JSON files saved by users are user-owned and outside the mod's licensing scope.

Authored by Venah (Lueken on GitHub).