FAQ

Answers to the things people ask most often. If yours isn't here, see Bugs & contact.

Platforms & players

Why is my Bedrock gamertag loading as a Java player (or failing)?

Bedrock identifiers need a leading . to disambiguate them from Java usernames — .MyGen, not MyGen. Pure-numeric Bedrock XUIDs are detected without the prefix. See Player identifiers.

Does MinecraftRender support Bedrock Persona / Character Creator?

Yes. When a Bedrock player loads, the server fetches their full Character Creator model with its real geometry and textures — hair, outfits, capes, and accessories all render as they appear in-game. Classic Bedrock skins are also supported and fall back through GeyserMC automatically.

Java username or UUID — which should I use?

Either works, but prefer the UUID if you already have it. Java usernames can change (and some people change them often); UUIDs don't. If you're storing player references in a database and want the renders to keep working after a name change, store the UUID.

Does it support capes?

Yes — both Java capes (Mojang-issued and Minecon capes) and Bedrock capes (Character Creator and Marketplace). You can toggle the cape on or off per-player in the Studio under mesh visibility.

Can I render a skin that isn't tied to a real player?

Yes — open the Studio and use Upload Custom Skin to pick a .png from your computer (or drag it straight onto the viewport). Modern 64×64 skins, pre-1.8 64×32 skins, and HD square skins (128×128, 256×256) all work. The Studio auto-detects whether the skin is Steve (4px arms) or Alex (3px arms) and a face icon on the player card lets you flip between the two if the detection picks wrong. From there you can pose, light, and render like any other player. Uploaded skins aren't stored server-side.

Rendering

Why is my first render slow but repeat renders are fast?

The first render for a given (template, player, format) combination does real work — fetching the player model, posing, lighting, and writing to disk. Subsequent identical requests come straight out of the on-disk cache (6-hour TTL) and are near-instant. The X-Cache: HIT / MISS response header tells you which path you got.

Does the API render animations or video?

No — MinecraftRender produces still images only (WebP or PNG). There's no animation, GIF, or video output.

Why does my final render look slightly different from the Studio preview?

The Studio viewport is a live three.js preview optimised for responsiveness. The final render runs server-side with full-quality shadows, antialiasing, and depth-of-field applied. Composition, pose, and lighting match; visual fidelity improves. Setting the preview quality to High in the Studio narrows the gap but doesn't fully close it.

Can I get renders above 1080p?

Not through the public surface. The Studio goes up to 1080p; the public API caps at 720p. If you have a specific use case that needs higher resolution, get in touch.

Can I get a transparent background?

Renders always come out with a transparent background — nothing extra to toggle, and it works for both WebP and PNG output. The ground shadow is a separate semi-transparent patch underneath the character; disable it in the Studio's scene options if you want the alpha completely clean with no shadow at all.

Privacy & content

Are my Studio scenes private?

Yes by default. Scenes you compose in the Studio live in your browser's localStorage; nothing is uploaded until you click Share. When you share, the scene gets a shortcode that's technically public (anyone with the URL can render it) but unlisted — it won't appear in the gallery unless you also fill in the metadata form and publish it.

Are uploaded GLBs and skins stored on your server?

No. Custom GLB props live in your browser tab and are embedded as base64 in any scene file you save. They're session-only — clearing your cache or opening the Studio on a different device means re-uploading. Uploaded skin PNGs are treated the same way.

Can I get a template removed from the gallery?

Yes. If you published a template and want it taken down — or if someone else's published template is inappropriate — get in touch with the shortcode and we'll remove it.

What happens to unused shortcodes?

Shortcodes that were created via Share but never published to the gallery and haven't been rendered in the last 90 days are automatically cleaned up. Gallery-published templates are exempt — once it's in the gallery, it stays.

Limits & pricing

Is there a paid tier?

No. MinecraftRender is free to use — no accounts, no keys, no credit cards. If that changes in future it won't affect the free-tier limits described here.

What are the rate limits?

The render endpoint is limited to 60 requests per minute per IP. Template metadata, thumbnail, and listing endpoints are unlimited. Full breakdown in Rate limits.

I'm hitting the rate limit — what now?

Most of the time it's avoidable with caching:

• Identical render URLs hit our cache and don't count heavily against your budget.
• For gallery UIs, use the thumbnail endpoint instead of firing full renders for every tile.
• Set Cache-Control on your own side to avoid re-requesting the same render from our API.

If you have a legitimate use case that genuinely needs higher limits (a large server listing, a game-wide leaderboard, etc.), get in touch.

Can I self-host?

The server is not currently packaged for self-hosting. If that's a hard requirement for your project, let us know — it's on the radar but not a near-term deliverable.

Licensing & usage

Can I use renders commercially?

The renders produced by MinecraftRender are free to use, but copyright in the underlying skin belongs to whoever made it. If you're rendering your own skin or a skin you have rights to, go ahead. If you're rendering someone else's, check the original skin's licence before using the render commercially — particularly for paid Bedrock Marketplace content, where the licence terms are set by the Marketplace creator.

Is Minecraft affiliated with this?

No. MinecraftRender is an independent project. Minecraft, the Minecraft logo, and related imagery are trademarks of Mojang Synergies AB / Microsoft. This site isn't endorsed by or affiliated with Mojang or Microsoft.

Can I link to the Studio from my site?

Absolutely — linking to the Studio, sharing shortcodes, and embedding render URLs are all encouraged. If you're building something interesting on top of MinecraftRender, we'd love to hear about it.

Bugs & contact

I found a bug / want to request a feature.

Join us on Discord: discord.minecraftrender.com. Bug reports, feature requests, template takedown requests, higher-rate-limit asks, and contribution chats all happen there. When reporting a bug, include:

• What you were doing when it went wrong (URL, shortcode, player, Studio action).
• What you expected to happen.
• What actually happened (error message, render output, console logs if you have them).
• Your browser and OS if it's a Studio issue.

My render looks wrong — is that a bug?

Maybe, maybe not. Before reporting, try:

• Opening the shortcode in the Studio (/studio/{shortcode}) and checking it there.
• Rendering a different player with the same template — if that works, the issue is with the player's skin data (sometimes Persona profiles have quirks).
• Rendering the same player with a different template — if that works, the template may have an issue.

Those three checks narrow down whether it's the template, the player, or the renderer itself. Include what you found when you report it.

Can I contribute?

Pose presets, prop models, and lighting presets are the easiest places to contribute content. For code contributions, drop into Discord first so we can talk through what you have in mind.