DAI 1.9.8

Native Mesh Models

• Added native arbitrary mesh rendering to DAI.
• Added support for dai:model/1.0 JSON model files.
• Added triangle-based geometry using custom:
  • Vertices
  • Faces
  • UV coordinates
  • Normals
• Added support for complex non-cuboid models instead of limiting custom models to Minecraft-style cubes.
• Added polygon fan triangulation for compatible non-triangle faces.
• Added automatic face-normal generation when normals are not provided.

Blender / OBJ Model Support

• DAI can now consume mesh JSON generated from .obj models.
• Added compatibility with the DAI website's new OBJ → DAI JSON converter.
• Blender models can now be exported as OBJ, converted to DAI JSON, and rendered natively in Minecraft.
• OBJ groups and material assignments can be preserved through the conversion pipeline.

Native Entity Models

• Added native mesh model references to dai:native entities.
• Native entities can now reference models with:

{
  "carrier": "dai:native",
  "model": "namespace:path"
}

• Mesh models can be stored under:

assets/<namespace>/dai/models/

• Added support for both:

  • <model>.json
  • <model>.dai.json

• .dai.json filenames automatically resolve to the correct DAI model ID.

Textures & Materials

• Added automatic native mesh texture resolution.
• Models can automatically use textures from:

assets/<namespace>/textures/dai/models/<path>.png

• Added optional per-material texture definitions.
• Added support for multiple OBJ/material groups within a single mesh.
• Added built-in fallback rendering when a model does not define a texture.

Mesh Render Modes

Added native mesh support for:

• solid
• cutout
• translucent
• emissive
• fullbright rendering

This allows custom models to support everything from normal solid creatures to transparent effects and glowing model components.

Resource Pack Integration

• Added automatic loading of DAI mesh models from resource packs.
• Added native mesh resource reload support.
• Updated mesh resources can now be refreshed through Minecraft's normal resource reload process.
• Companion resource packs can provide models, textures, and material definitions without requiring additional Java code.

Renderer Improvements

• Added a dedicated DAI native mesh model library.
• Added custom geometry submission through Minecraft's modern rendering pipeline.
• Added safety limits for excessively large or malformed mesh files.
• Added validation and graceful handling of missing model data.
• Existing native DAI presentation systems remain compatible.

Compatibility

• Existing dai:native entities without mesh models continue to behave as before.
• Existing articulated rigs and item-display based presentation systems remain supported.
• Existing datapacks do not need to be updated for 1.9.8.
• Native mesh rendering is additive and opt-in.

DAI 1.9.8 expands custom model support from Minecraft-style geometry into full arbitrary 3D mesh rendering, allowing creators to build models in tools such as Blender and bring them into DAI through JSON without writing a custom Java renderer.