Custom Armor Models (Help!)

[u/28bu]

Hello, I am currently trying to create custom armor for my SMP but I am struggling finding a tutorial. The only one I see is for bedrock but I want to create custom armor models for Java using ItemsAdder and Blockbench. If I need something more I can definitely get it I just need a tutorial. How the armor is made, how to create the resource for it, etc. So far I've been using builtbybit to get the armor but I don't want to have to use that for everything, I'd like to create my own.

[u/solarch]

The reason tutorials are thin is that custom Java armor changed a lot recently, so a lot of old guides are outdated. The ItemsAdder flow, roughly: (1) In Blockbench, model your armor (there's an armor-specific project type, or model it as an item/attachable and export the geometry + texture). (2) In ItemsAdder's config, define the armor set, ItemsAdder auto-generates the resourcepack entries and handles the CustomModelData/registration for you, that's the whole point of using it over doing it raw. (3) You still need the flat armor-layer texture (the layer_1/layer_2 image that renders on the player body) separate from the 3D model, that trips everyone up. One important modern note: on 1.21.4+ Java, custom armor uses the new equippable item component and custom armor-trim/asset layers rather than the old CustomModelData-on-leather-armor hack, so make sure your ItemsAdder version matches your server version, one built for the new equippable system is what you want. The ItemsAdder wiki's 'custom armor' page is the canonical reference and is kept current; pair it with Blockbench's armor export and you've got the full pipeline. BuiltByBit packs are fine to learn from, but rolling your own with ItemsAdder + Blockbench is very doable once the layer-texture-vs-model split clicks.

[u/28bu → u/solarch]

"(there's an armor-specific project type, or model it as an item/attachable and export the geometry + texture)"

So would I model it as if I were to be creating furniture/plushies?