Table

of Contents
MagicaVoxel User Reference Manual 1.1
Introduction 1.2
Interface 1.3
Modelling 1.4
Rendering 1.5
Animation 1.6
Reference 1.7

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MagicaVoxel User Reference Manual

MagicaVoxel User Reference Manual

Draft user reference manual for MagicaVoxel 0.98.2

License
The software is released under ?

The text and images from this manual can be used under the Creative Commons Zero
(CC0) public domain license.

Websites
MagicaVoxel website: https://ephtracy.github.io

MagicaVoxel Github page: https://github.com/ephtracy/ephtracy.github.io

This manual: https://www.gitbook.com/book/leonida/magicavoxel-user-reference-

manual/details

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Introduction

Introduction

MagicaVoxel
MagicaVoxel is a free editor and renderer for voxel based models and images.

Voxel
A voxel is one cube in a three-dimensional grid of cubes.

Installation
Windows

Mac
1. Download the package from
2. Unzip the package.
3. Move the folder the the 'Applications' folder.
4. Open the MagicaVoxel folder.
5. Double click the MagicaVoxel application to begin.

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Interface

Interface

Main window
Elements

1. Colour palette. See Palette

2. Switches between Modelling mode and Rendering mode
3. Model name. Type to change name.
4. Saves model changes
5. File operations. See File operations
6. Show/hide animation panel
7. Show/hide hint bar
8. Take screenshot (key F6)
9. Toggle alpha channel of screenshot
10. Hint bar
11. Console for command line
12. Camera settings. See Camera settings

To hide a panel click its name bar. To show/hide a subpanel click its triangle.

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Interface

Modeling mode

1. Brushes: see
2. Modes: see
3. Toolbox: see
4. Mirror mode: see
5. Axis: see
6. View: see
7. Volume size. Type to change (min. 1, max. 126)
8. Fit model size: reduces the volume size to the model size
9. Undo (key CTRL+Z) / redo (key CTRL+Y or CTRL+SHIFT+Z)
10. Volume tools: see
11. Selection tools: see
12. Clipboard: see
13. Rotate: see
14. Flip: see
15. Loop: see
16. Scale: see
17. Repeat: see
18. Misc: see
19. Shape: see

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Interface

Rendering mode

1. Light settings: see

2. Voxel shape: see
3. View: see
4. Pause/Resume render
5. Render settings: see
6. Matter: see
7. Camera settings: see
8. Bloom settings: see

Navigation
Zoom in: mouse wheel or 'W' key
Zoom out: mouse wheel or 'S' key
Rotate camera: right mouse button or left mouse button + 'M' key
Rotate camera left: 'A' key
Rotate camera right: 'D' key
Rotate camera down: 'Q' key
Rotate camera up: 'E' key

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Interface

View

File operations

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Interface

1. Switches between Model list and Model list for pattern brush
2. Save / Save as / New Model / Duplicate model
3. Model list

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Interface

4. Open model / Import model / Move model to trash

5. Export model

Palette

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Interface

1. Switches between four colour palettes

2. Sets edge colour. To display edges see View
3. Sets ground colour. To display the ground plane see View
4. 255 colour swatches. To create a gradient, click the first swatch, then

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Interface

CTRL+ALT+SHIFT drag towards the second swatch

5. File operations for colour palettes
6. Hue / Saturation / Value sliders (or Red / Green / Blue sliders)
7. Switch between Hue / Saturation / Value and Red / Green / Blue colour picker mode
8. Numerical value entry

Camera settings

1. Projection (Perspective / Free / Orthogonal / Isometric)

2. Save/load camera slots (key F5/F7)
3. Camera ruler: allows rotation of the camera in 5 degree increments. Drag ruler to
change rotation.
4. Reset camera to initial settings.
5. Toggles automatic resetting of camera.

6. Menu commands
MagicaVoxel menu

About: version number and credits

Quit (key CMD+Q)

File menu

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Interface

New (key CMD+N)

Duplicate (key SHIFT+CMD+N)
Save (key CMD+N)
Save As (key SHIFT+CMD+S)
Open (key CMD+O)
Import (key SHIFT+CMD+O)
Screenshot
Bake
Export
Trash

Edit menu

Undo (key CMD+Z)

Redo (key SHIFT+CMD+Z)
Full (key U): fills the entire volume with voxels.
Fill (key I): paints all voxels (even those which are not selected).
Empty (key Backspace)

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Interface

Shrink: reduces the size of the volume to the size of the model
Shell: removes all voxels except the ones which are on the outside of the model
Inner:

Palette menu

New
Open
Save

View menu

Grid (key CMD+G)

Edge (key CMD+E)
Frame (key CMD+F)
Ground (key CMD+R)
Shadow (key CMD+W)
Background (key CMD+B)

(See View)

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Modelling

Modelling

Brushes

1. Line mode ('L' key): for drawing lines

2. Center mode ('C' key): for drawing circles

3. Pattern ('P' key)

4. Voxel mode ('V' key): for freeform drawing

5. Face mode ('F' key): affects the entire face

6. Box mode ('B' key): for drawing rectangles

Modes

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Modelling

1. Attach (key 'T'): adds voxels

2. Erase (key 'R'): removes voxels
3. Paint (key 'G'): changes a voxel's colour

Toolbox

1. Move (CTRL + left mouse button): moves the selection. Hold SHIFT to constrain along
axis.

2. Box select ('N' key): selects a rectangular area. Hold SHIFT to add to current selection.
Hold ALT+SHIFT to remove from current selection. Options:

• 'Box' for normal 3D box selection

• 'Rect' for screen rect selection \(2D rectangle\)

3. Region select: Selects voxels that are connected to and have the same colour as the
one that is clicked. Hold SHIFT to add to current selection. Hold ALT+SHIFT to remove
from current selection. Options:

• 'V' for voxels within the same volume

• 'F' for voxels within the same face

• 'A' for all voxels with the same colour

• 'Col/Geo' for connectivity by colour or by geometry

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Modelling

• '4/8' for neighbour searching direction. 4 directions to include face to face neighbours
only, 8 directions to include corner neighbours as well.

4. Pick voxel colour (ALT + left mouse button)

5. Remove voxel colour

6. Replace voxel colour

Mirror mode
Mirrors all user operations around the chosen axis. It is possible to use more than one mirror
axis at a time.

Toggle mirror X: key '1'

Toggle mirror Y: key '2'

Toggle mirror Z: key '3'

Whole axis mode

Applies the user operation to every voxel along the chosen axis. It is possible to use more
than one axis at a time.

Toggle whole axis X: key 'CTRL+1'

Toggle whole axis Y: key 'CTRL+2'

Toggle whole axis Z: key 'CTRL+3'

Volume tools

1. Full ('U' key): fills the entire volume with voxels.

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Modelling

2. Zero (Backspace key): deletes all voxels (even those which are not selected).

3. Fill ('I' key): paints all voxels (even those that are not selected).

4. 2X: doubles the resolution of the model.

Selection
Select all (key CTRL+A)
Select inverse (key CTRL+R)
Select none (key CTRL+D)

Clipboard
Copy selection (key CTRL+C)
Cut selection (key CTRL+X)
Paste selection (key CTRL+V)

Rotate
Rotates the selection 90 degrees around the chosen axis. If nothing is selected the entire
model is rotated.

Flip
Flips the selection around the chosen axis. If nothing is selected the entire model is flipped.

Loop
Moves the selection 1 voxel along the chosen axis. Voxels that would move outside the
volume boundaries reappear on the opposite side of the volume. If nothing is selected the
entire model is moved.

Scale

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Modelling

Scales the model by the factor you type here. For example, typing 2 will double the size of
the model, typing 0.5 will halve it. If parts of the model end up outside of the volume, the
volume size is increased to fit the model. For asymmetrical scaling type the axis before the
factor, e.g. 'z 2' will double the size along the Z axis.

Repeat
Makes duplicates of the model and places them next to each other. The factor you type here
determines the number of duplicates. For example, typing 3 will create 27 duplicates of the
model. If parts of the model end up outside of the volume, the volume size is increased to fit
the model. For asymmetrical repeats type the axis before the factor, e.g. 'z 3' will create 3
duplicates along the Z axis. If no axis is specified the repeat is executed on all three axis.

Misc

1. Shell: removes all invisible voxels, keeping only the outer layer of the model
2. Fractal model
3. Dilation: expands the model by 1 voxel unit
4. Fill all invisible space: fills hollow models
5. Random colour
6. Erosion: contracts the model by 1 voxel unit

Shape
Clears the volume and generates a new shape sized to fit the volume.

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Modelling

1. Ellipsoid
2. Pyramid
3. Maze
4. Cylinder
5. Cone
6. Perlin noise

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Rendering

Rendering

Light

1. Number of light bounces: the higher the value, the longer the render will take, but the
more realistic the image will be.

2. Pitch angle of sunlight: determines the height of the sun. To change drag the right hand
side button or type a value (min. -90°, max. 90°). 90°= sun overhead, 0°= sun at floor
level, -90°= sun below model.

3. Yaw angle of sunlight: determines the position of the sun. To change drag the right hand
side button or type a value (min. 0°, max. 360°). 0°= sun in front, 90°= sun on the right,
180°= sun from the back, 270°= sun on the left.

4. Shadow softness: the higher the value the softer the shadows.

5. Sun colour. To change use the palette.

6. Sunlight intensisty

7. Sky colour

8. Sky light intensity

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Rendering

9. Toggle fog scattering

10. Fog colour. Not available when fog scattering is disabled.

11. Fog density

Voxel shape

1. Cube (default)

2. Lego

3. Marching Cube

4. Rounded Grids: rounds the edges of every voxel

5. Rounded Edges: rounds the edges of the model

6. Sphere Voxel

7. Cylinder Voxel

View

Render settings

Matter

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Rendering

Camera settings

1. Toggles Stereographics Projection (for spherical panoramas).

2. Depth of Field: determines how much of the rendered image is in focus. At min value
the entire image is sharp. At max value only the area around the focus point is sharp.
Has no effect if the focus voxel has not been set. To set the focus click a voxel.

3. Exposure: Determines the amount of overexposure of the rendered image. No effect at

min value. Higher values wash out the highlights.

4. Vignette: determines the reduction in brightness near the edges of the rendered image.
The higher the value the darker the border.

5. Gamma Correction: changes the luminance of the rendered image. The higher the
value the brighter the image (min. 1.0, max. 5.0)

6. Field of View: determines the angle the camera sees (the higher the value the wider the
view). To change drag the right hand side button or type a value (min. 45°, max. 360°).

7. ACES Filmic Tone Mapping: if enabled the renderer uses a colour mapping curve to get
more photorealistic results

Bloom settings

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Animation

Animation
A model is animated by displaying a series of slightly different images (frames) at short time
intervals.

Click the arrow below the 'Model' button to show the Animation panel.

1. Previous frame
2. Next frame
3. Frame list
4. Delete current frame
5. Add frame
6. Current frame
7. Time step in milliseconds (min. 16, max. 999)

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Reference

Reference

Keyboard shortcuts

Command line

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