Upgrading to 1.11

Animated Java 1.11 adds Texture Slots, reworks how Variants work, and supports Minecraft 26.3. Most projects upgrade automatically, but a few changes can break Data Pack code or plugins that depend on Animated Java’s output.

Upgrading a Blueprint

1. Open the Blueprint in Animated Java 1.11. It’s upgraded automatically. Variants that used to swap textures now use Texture Slots instead, and look the same as before.
2. Save it.
3. Re-export it.
4. In Minecraft, /reload, then remove and re-summon every existing instance of the rig. With a debug export, old instances glow red to show they’re outdated.

Breaking Changes

Animation frame objectives

Each animation’s frame score now includes the Blueprint ID, so two Blueprints with the same animation names no longer share a score:

Before:  aj.<animation>.frame
After:   <blueprint_id>.<animation>.frame

In the objective name, the : and / in your Blueprint ID become ., so my_pack:my_rig gives my_pack.my_rig.walk.frame. Update any commands that read or set these scores.

Bone custom_model_data on 1.21.4 and newer

Each bone item’s minecraft:custom_model_data strings now hold the current texture of each Texture Slot the bone uses, instead of the name of the applied Variant. If your own resource pack or commands read these strings, update them.

Plugin JSON format version 3

Plugin exports now use format_version 3:

• display_properties is renamed to entity_properties.
• settings.id no longer starts with animated_java:.
• texture_palettes is replaced by texture_slots.
• Texture keys no longer end in _png.
• Variants are exported in a new variants section, and applied with variant keyframes, instead of being flattened into texture_slot keyframes.

Plugins that read Animated Java’s JSON need to update to the new format.

Other Changes Worth Knowing

• The default Target Minecraft Version is now 26.2.
• Auto Update Rig Orientation moved to the Rig page of Blueprint Settings.
• Entity display names were removed from rig entities, which improves performance.
• Plugin exports no longer build a Resource Pack, and now include Interactions and each node’s parent.

The full list is in the changelog: Animated Java Changelog in Blockbench.