Light

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Light (or lighting) in Minecraft affects visibility, mob spawning, and plant growth. There are three aspects of Minecraft's lighting system: light level, internal light level, and rendered brightness.

Light level[edit | edit source]

Light levels can be found on the debug screen in Java Edition. Light may come from two sources: the sky and certain blocks. There are 16 light levels, specified by an integer from 0 (the minimum) through 15 (the maximum).

Block light[edit | edit source]

Block light comes from light-emitting blocks, and spreads using a flood fill algorithm.

The block light level decreases by one for each meter (block) of taxicab distance from the light source. This applies to each of the 3 coordinate axes. In other words, the light level decreases diagonally by the sum of the distances along each axis. For example:

• If a torch with light level 14 is placed on the floor, the light level of the adjacent floor blocks in all four directions is 13, while the diagonal blocks in all four directions have a light level of 12 (14 minus 1 south, minus 1 east).
• If a torch with light level 14 is placed on a wall one block above the floor, then the block on the floor that is one block southeast of and below the torch has a light level of 11 (14 - 1 ^(south) - 1 ^(east) - 1 ^(down)).

On a surface, this effect produces a diamond-shaped pattern of illumination around the light source.

In Java Edition, when calculating lighting, the shapes of some blocks are detected: pistons, daylight detectors, enchanting tables, farmland, lecterns, stonecutters, dirt paths, snow, end portal frames, slabs and stairs, so that the light passing through them can spread only in specific directions. For example, dirt paths prevents the light from propagating downward, but the light can propagate in other directions.

Sky light[edit | edit source]

The sky light level for blocks exposed to broad daylight is 15. Sky light cast onto blocks can spread to darker areas using a flood fill algorithm. Sky light is not reduced at night; rather, the spawning of mobs is determined by internal light values.

Opaque blocks can prevent the spread of sky light. By contrast, transparent blocks such as glass and iron bars have no effect on the sky light level. All light-filtering blocks, however, reduce the spread of sky light.

When sky light of a level of 15 spreads down through a transparent block, the level remains unchanged. When it spreads horizontally or upward, it reduces 1 light level. However, when it spreads through a light-filtering block, it does not follow the above two rules and attenuates specific light levels.

Sky light with a level less than 15 spreads as block light - when it propagates to adjacent (including top and bottom, six blocks in total) blocks, it is attenuated until it is 0.

In Java Edition, when calculating lighting, the shapes of some blocks are detected: piston, daylight detectors, enchanting table, farmland, lectern, stonecutter, grass path, snow, end portal frame, slabs, and stairs. They have directional opacity, so that the light passing through them can spread only in specific directions. For example, the dirt path prevents the light from propagating downward, but the light can propagate in other directions.

Light-filtering blocks[edit | edit source]

In Java Edition, all of the following light-filtering blocks decrease sky light by 1 level (but do not affect block light).

Light-filtering blocks in Java Edition

Icon	Block
	Water
	All transparent waterlogged blocks
	Bubble column
	Ice
	Frosted ice
	Cobweb
	Leaves
	Slime block
	Honey block
	Monster spawner
	Lava
	Beacon
	End gateway
	Chorus plant
	Chorus flower
	Shulker box

In Bedrock Edition, light-filtering blocks can reduce more levels of block or sky light. The following values are the amounts by which each block decreases the light level.

Light-filtering blocks in Bedrock Edition

Icon	Block	Amount of decrease
	Beacon	14
	Anvil	3
	Hopper
	Brewing stand
	Cauldron
	Ice
	Frosted ice
	Water	2
	Cobweb	1
	Leaves
	Powder snow
	Slabs (except double slabs)

Light-emitting blocks[edit | edit source]

The following values are the brightness of the blocks themselves.

Light level Block 15 Beacon, conduit, end gateway, end portal, fire, four waterlogged sea pickles, froglight, glowstone, jack o'lantern, lantern, lava, lava cauldron, lit campfire, lit redstone lamp, respawn anchor (fully charged), sea lantern, shroomlight, copper bulb 14 Colored torches‌[edu & BE only], cave vines with berries, end rod, torch, underwater torch‌[edu & BE only] 13 Blast furnace when lit, furnace when lit, smoker when lit 12 Vault (active), four lit candles, glowing obsidian‌[edu & BE only], three waterlogged sea pickles, exposed copper bulb 11 Nether portal, respawn anchor (3⁄4 charged) 10 Crying obsidian, lit soul campfire, soul fire, soul lantern, soul torch 9 Three lit candles, lit deepslate redstone ore, lit redstone ore, two waterlogged sea pickles 8 Weathered copper bulb, trial spawner (active) 7 Enchanting table, ender chest, glow lichen, lit redstone torch, respawn anchor (1⁄2 charged) 6 One waterlogged sea pickle, sculk catalyst, two lit candles, vault (inactive) 5 Amethyst cluster 4 Large amethyst bud, oxidized copper bulb, trial spawner (inactive) 3 Magma block, one lit candle, respawn anchor (1⁄4 charged) 2 Medium amethyst bud 1 Brewing stand, brown mushroom, calibrated sculk sensor, dragon egg, end portal frame, sculk sensor, small amethyst bud 0–15 Light block

Internal light level[edit | edit source]

The internal light level is used for calculations within the game. The game uses the internal light level of one block to compute aspects of the game, which include mob spawning, plant growth, and daylight detector outputs.

The game uses sky light, time, and weather to calculate an internal sky light value (also known as darkening sky light), then uses the maximum level of the block light and the internal sky light to calculate the internal light (formula: (max(internal sky light,block light))). This value is an integer with a maximum level of 15; it can also be negative.

Here are the levels of internal sky light at a sky light of level 15:

To obtain an internal sky light for a sky light level s less than 15, take the internal level L at 15 and subtract from it the difference between 15 and s: L−(15−s).

Icon	Time	Internal sky light when sky light is 15
	noon, during clear weather	15
	noon, during rain or snowfall	12
	noon, during a thunderstorm	10[storm 1]
	midnight, during clear weather	4

Effects of internal light[edit | edit source]

Keep in mind that the internal light level is only one of the considerations that apply to mob spawning and plant growth.

Mobs[edit | edit source]

Light level > Mob v	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Bats	Spawn at y: 0–62				Spawn at y: 0–62 from October 20 to November 3‌[JE only]				Do not spawn
Blazes	Spawn in nether fortresses												Do not spawn
Wither skeletons	Spawn in nether fortresses								Do not spawn
Zombified piglins	Spawn in the Nether												Do not spawn
Slimes (slime chunk)	Spawn in slime chunks at Y: -64–40
Slimes (swamp)	Spawn in swamp biomes at Y: 50–70								Do not spawn
Skeletons	Spawn in the Overworld	Spawn in the Nether							Do not spawn				Do not spawn, burn in sunlight
Zombies Chicken jockeys	Spawn in the Overworld	Do not spawn											Do not spawn, burn in sunlight
Drowned	Spawn in oceans and rivers	Hostile, do not spawn											Burn in sunlight, ignore player outside water when in sunlight
Creepers Witches	Spawn in the Overworld	Do not spawn
Phantoms	Spawn in the Overworld if player hasn't entered a bed in over 3 in-game days								Do not spawn				Burn in sunlight
Spiders Cave spiders Spider jockeys	Spawn in the Overworld	Hostile, do not spawn											Do not spawn, neutral unless provoked
Silverfish	Spawn from monster spawners in the Overworld												Hostile, do not spawn
Endermen	Spawn in all three dimensions	Spawn in the Nether							Do not spawn, teleport randomly in Overworld

Blocks[edit | edit source]

Block	Level 0–3	Level 4–7	Level 8	Level 9	Level 10	Level 11	Level 12	Level 13–15
Snow[note 1]	Forms					Neither forms nor melts[note 2]	Melts
Ice[note 1]	Forms				Neither forms nor melts[note 3]	Melts
Mushrooms	Spread							Uproot unless on mycelium, podzol, or nylium
Saplings Pumpkin or melon stems Bamboo [note 4]	Does not grow			Grows
Wheat Carrots Potatoes Beetroots[note 5]	Uproot		Does not grow	Grows
Grass Block Mycelium[note 6]	Becomes dirt if opaque block or partially transparent block on top	Does not spread		Spreads to nearby dirt (see below)
Dirt[note 6]	Does not accept spread	Accepts spread if there is no opaque or semi-transparent block on top
Frosted ice	See Frosted Ice for details
Daylight detector	Output

Rendered brightness[edit | edit source]

The game uses the light level (instead of internal light level), time, and weather to compute the rendered brightness of a given block or an entity. Light is completely monochromatic and cannot be truly colored.

As mentioned above, sky light is not reduced at night, instead, the brightness curve itself changes based on the time. Entities cast circular‌^{[Java Edition only]} or tridecagonal‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]} shadows; however, these are unrelated to the rendering of blocks.

In general, lighting due to blocks results in a higher brightness, which is balanced by the fact that light due to blocks effectively starts at 14 (solid light source blocks emit a level of 15, but that applies to the light source block itself) while sky light brightness is 15 outdoors. Light due to blocks also tends toward orange in the middle ranges, while sky light in the Overworld daytime is white.

In the Overworld with the "Moody" brightness setting, full daylight reaches 98% brightness,^{[luma 1]} while at night brightness is reduced to about 17%^{[luma 1]} and is shaded blue. Full darkness is about 5% brightness.^{[luma 1]}

In the Nether, sky lighting doesn't play a role since there is no source of sky light (although if there were, it would reach about 99% brightness.^{[luma 1]}) Full darkness with the "Moody" brightness setting is at about 25% brightness,^{[luma 1]} slightly darker than a block light level of 7 and no sky light in the Overworld, and is shaded orange like block light.

In the End, sky lighting wouldn't play a role even if there were a source of sky light; this can also be seen if lightning is summoned in the End (there is no flash of brightness like there is in other dimensions). Full darkness in the End with the "Moody" brightness setting is about 28% brightness,^{[luma 1]} and is shaded toward a bluish-green rather than the orange of the Nether and of block lighting.

In Java Edition 20w14∞, most unique dimensions have unique lighting system. However, most of the Easter egg dimensions do not have darkness at all. Instead, they are fully bright, but in an Easter egg dimension called gallery has the blue lighting nearly identical to the Overworld at night (only significantly brighter). Easter egg dimensions that resembles the Overworld with just world generation modifications (namely busy, chess, decay, holes, pillars, rooms, slime, and zone) have the same lighting as in the Overworld. blacklight has the inverted lighting system derived from the Overworld. colors, red, green, and blue dimensions resembles the Overworld with lighting mixed with dimensional tinting, and darkness is blended with darkness at higher distances far away from the origin. Its darkness cannot be fixed with Night Vision effect.

Smooth lighting[edit | edit source]

Smooth lighting is a lighting engine that blends light levels across block faces and darkens corners using ambient occlusion to add semi-realistic shadows and glowing from light sources. It affects only rendered brightness, not the light level, so it has no effect on mob spawning or crop growth. It is set on by default. Paintings, item frames^[1] and water surfaces^[2] are unaffected.‌^{[Java Edition only]}

Smooth lighting can be turned on or off in the video settings.

Ambient occlusion in Minecraft[edit | edit source]

This section needs cleanup to comply with the style guide. ^[discuss]

Please help improve this page. The talk page may contain suggestions.

In many newer games, ambient occlusion is mainly generated dynamically by the GPU. But Minecraft calculates ambient occlusion in the code based on voxel placement and brightness levels.

Ambient occlusion is responsible for adding shading to an ordinary texture. It is a layer of translucent textures, on top of the normal textures. Overlaying these AO textures onto a texture is called AO mapping. There are about five AO texture patterns used in Minecraft's smooth lighting, excluding flips and rotations, and only three patterns algorithmically. Strictly speaking, it's probably more than that. That's when the intensity changes with the brightness level. But they are solved by tint.

AO texture pattern[edit | edit source]

This section needs cleanup to comply with the style guide. ^[discuss]

Please help improve this page. The talk page may contain suggestions.

If AO mapping is selected only to the northwest of the voxel, the following pattern is possible.

Number	Image
0
1
2
3

These classifications allow one the ability to deduce a pattern from the placement of each voxel. The following function can then be used to compute the opacity of the voxels' vertices, depending on the presence of the side and corner voxels.

function vertexAO(side1, side2, corner) {
  return 3 - (side1 + side2 + corner)
}

This generates a 2×2 pixel image using the values of each vertex. The pixels are small, but when zoomed in using anti-aliasing, it gradates.

History[edit | edit source]

Issues[edit | edit source]

Issues relating to "Light" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

• In Minecraft's source code, the luminescences are defined using the floating point values in the third column. These floating point numbers are fractions of 16, but are multiplied by 15 to get the integer light value. This means that both 0/16 and 1/16 (0.0 and 0.0625) correspond to the integer light value 0.

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Screenshots[edit | edit source]

• 

  Lighting, the wool block is exposed to sunlight ("Moody" brightness setting).

• 

  Lighting, the wool block is exposed to sunlight ("Bright" brightness setting).

• 

  Lighting in the void. Particles and entities are illuminated based on the light level at level 0.

• 

  Light being emitted from sea pickles, a sea lantern, and to a lesser extent, magma blocks.

• 

  Only the flowing water is lighted by a magma block.

• 

  A teaser from Notch showing the new lighting system for the Adventure Update.

• 

  Lighting during the day.

• 

  Lighting during the night.

• 

  Bugged light from a torch.

• 

  Bugged light creating stripes similar to the stripe lands.

• 

  Light underground.

• 

  Light underground.

References[edit | edit source]

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