ForgeMultipart/docs/api/CLIENT_PREVIEW.md

Building client multipart previews

Java API index

Use MultipartHelper.createPreviewTileFromNBT(World, NBTTagCompound) to rebuild saved multipart NBT as an uninstalled client tile. It replaces the registry reflection, client-part promotion, Scala collection conversion, composite generation and manual loading previously needed by preview integrations.

TileMultipart preview = MultipartHelper.createPreviewTileFromNBT(clientWorld, savedTile);
if (preview == null) {
    return false;
}
return MultipartRenderer.renderWorldBlock(
    blockAccess, x, y, z, multipartBlock, multipartBlock.getRenderType(), renderBlocks);

The compiling example uses only Java API types. Keep this code in a client integration class because MultipartRenderer is client-only.

Reconstruction contract

The helper accepts only a savedMultipart tag with at least one supported part. It preserves part order, loads each part from its original tag, generates the required client tile traits, restores tile coordinates and NBT state, and binds the parts. With a client world it then calls onWorldJoin, broadcasts a local part change, marks the render and rebuilds the client render cache. With a null world it creates a worldless staged preview; render caches initialize lazily.

A non-null world must have isRemote == true. The helper does not validate placement, install the tile in a chunk, notify neighbors, recalculate lighting or send packets. It reads the supplied NBT without mutating it.

Reconstruction is all-or-nothing. A foreign or empty tag, missing factory, or factory that does not support preview construction returns null. Factory, part loading and generated-trait failures propagate.

Factory support

IPartFactory2.createPartForClientPreview(String, NBTTagCompound) constructs the client variant needed for saved NBT. The default returns null, so an existing packet-aware factory does not accidentally treat NBT as a description packet. Override it when the factory can return a fresh, unbound client part without consuming or changing the tag:

@Override
public TMultiPart createPartForClientPreview(String name, NBTTagCompound tag) {
    return new ExamplePart();
}

The helper calls part.load(tag) afterward. Legacy Boolean and Scala-function factory adapters already route preview construction through their client branch. Built-in microblock factories resolve the saved material name and construct the generated client microblock before loading its shape and other state.

Consumer migration

• Schematica can replace its private registry map, MicroblockClass.create, Scala iterable conversion, companion generator, reflected loader and per-part refresh loop with this helper.
• GuideNH can replace its server-tile reconstruction, TileMultipartClient promotion, microblock promotion and Scala reload/finalization with this helper. Its material export and part statistics already use typed Java traversal.

Keep the old reflection fallback only while supporting an older FMP release that lacks this API.