Extensive guide or explanation of the chiseling system

[xXx_Ape_xXx]

Is there a guide to the many quirks and features of the chiseling system?

Like, how does one interact with the "decor" layer, and what can be done with this mysterious feature?

What about wallpapers? They mysteriously disappear when trying to chisel anything that already has been wallpapered, with no mentioning why anywhere I can find.

There seem to be a lot of "hidden" features in this game, that only is known about by those who have extensive knowledge of the game, but not mentioned for the mere average players like myself. Would be really interesting to see some more in-depth guides to some of this amazing games many aspects.

[LadyWYT]

The most I've figured out so far:

1. Only full blocks can be chiseled. With default settings, the base block must also be a solid block that is unaffected by gravity(that is, not gravel or sand).

2. Right-click a block with a chisel in your main hand and hammer in your off-hand to turn it into a chiseled block. Left-click to remove pixels, right-click to add them back. Pressing "F" when targeting the block will open up a set of options to help chisel designs more efficiently.

3. To add material to the base chiseled block, press "F" to open the chisel menu, then drop blocks of the material you wish to add into the "+" icon. On default settings, added materials must be in full block form, and must qualify as stable enough to chisel. So blocks like sand and gravel can't be added, while others such as cracked stone can be added only under certain conditions. What these conditions are, I'm not certain, but what I've generally found is that materials like cracked stone can't really be used for really fine, delicate details unless it's a case where there is solid material behind it as a support(such as inlay on floor tiles, for example).

4. Blocks can be moved after chiseling, but I've not messed with it enough to see whether this can always be done without destroying the chiseled block. Generally, when I start chiseling something, I don't want to mess with it once I finish the work.

[xXx_Ape_xXx]

Appreciate the reply, and outlining the basic functions, but it's not quite what I was asking or hoping for. I apologise, I should maybe have worded my question a bit different, but english isn't my first language. I'm well aware of all what you mentioned in your post, and have done a fair bit of chisel work on various worlds and serves. You can see some of my work here.

 

The type of information I seek, let me give an example:

Did you know you can change the direction of texture of added materials to a chisel block? This is done by placing, lets say, a wood plank block, in the direction you want the grains to go, then right click it with the chisel, break it and then add it as a second block in your crafting grid with the host block you want to add the wooden texture to. This way your wooden texture in the block you're chiseling, will go in the direction you want it, and not in the "default" direction.

This type of info was all new to me, until I accidentally stumbled upon it, and not mentioned in any chiseling documentation (there hardly are any) that I have found.

This leads me to think (and hope) there are other "hidden" features like this in this game, that will further enhance the already incredible experience this game has to offer. I hope this can clarify a bit more, what type of information I'm looking for. Maybe some of the devs can enlighten us or create some documentation to features not widely known

[Silent Shadow]

The biggest technique I don't see from your screenshots is the use of wallpapers and linen on chiseled items, which you can use to create really nice looking furniture with "upholstery." Basically you can apply wallpaper or linen onto the side of a full block that you have already hit with the chisel (not a slab, though you can cut a full block down to a slab) and each voxel will get the texture applied to their face on that side. You can add and remove voxels and the wallpaper/linen will move accordingly with no loss.

This technique looks good but can be expensive, because you need multiple wallpapers/linens per block (the stool below needed 5 linen sheets to cover the top and 4 sides, and the couch needed 13 wallpapers to cover all the sides and armrests.) Fortunately you can break the chiseled blocks and the wallpaper/linen will stay attached, so rearranging your furniture will not require more wallpaper/linen to be applied.

The main limitation is that the wallpaper/linen is applied over the entire face of the block, and there doesn't seem to be any way to partially uncover a block (that I know of), so there isn't much point in multi-block chiseling and any uncovered portions must be in another block space to be visible; for example, the couch's wood armrest panels are not in the same block space as the rest of the armrest and the stool's cloth top has to be in the block space above the legs or the wooden legs would also be covered with linen.

Unlike the rest of the chiseled block, wallpapers also cannot be rotated, so lining up the designs may depend on the orientation of the work or just may not be possible.

Edited May 6, 2024 by Silent Shadow

[xXx_Ape_xXx]

@Silent Shadow Thank you very much, sir!

I had no idea I could add wallpapers to chiseled blocks, let alone linen   How do you add linen to the block??

Much appreciated information, I will experiment with this for sure

[Silent Shadow]

16 hours ago, xXx_Ape_xXx said:

@Silent Shadow  How do you add linen to the block??

On a full block (not a slab), right click with the chisel/hammer combo to change the block's status to a "chiseled block," and then you can select linen/wallpaper and right click onto the face you want to cover.

Again, only the facets facing the side you applied the linen/wallpaper from will be covered:

[Nameless_Owl]

On 4/28/2024 at 1:54 PM, xXx_Ape_xXx said:

Appreciate the reply, and outlining the basic functions, but it's not quite what I was asking or hoping for. I apologise, I should maybe have worded my question a bit different, but english isn't my first language. I'm well aware of all what you mentioned in your post, and have done a fair bit of chisel work on various worlds and serves. You can see some of my work here.

 

The type of information I seek, let me give an example:

Did you know you can change the direction of texture of added materials to a chisel block? This is done by placing, lets say, a wood plank block, in the direction you want the grains to go, then right click it with the chisel, break it and then add it as a second block in your crafting grid with the host block you want to add the wooden texture to. This way your wooden texture in the block you're chiseling, will go in the direction you want it, and not in the "default" direction.

This type of info was all new to me, until I accidentally stumbled upon it, and not mentioned in any chiseling documentation (there hardly are any) that I have found.

This leads me to think (and hope) there are other "hidden" features like this in this game, that will further enhance the already incredible experience this game has to offer. I hope this can clarify a bit more, what type of information I'm looking for. Maybe some of the devs can enlighten us or create some documentation to features not widely known

Necro post sorry, but this little advice about the direction of wood grain has saved my life, as I've been trying to make it work for hours now. So thank you so much! 

[N0ma13]

You can chisel slabs as well, not sure if that's a recent feature or not though.

Edited January 5, 2025 by N0ma13

[Vratislav]

11 hours ago, N0ma13 said:

You can chisel slabs as well,

With the limitation that they cannot be expanded much by chiseling, but partially yes. I suppose that maximum amount of a material is half-block, so if you chisel something out, you can add something over the original slab size. 

[ShawnisGay]

On 4/28/2024 at 6:54 AM, xXx_Ape_xXx said:

Appreciate the reply, and outlining the basic functions, but it's not quite what I was asking or hoping for. I apologise, I should maybe have worded my question a bit different, but english isn't my first language. I'm well aware of all what you mentioned in your post, and have done a fair bit of chisel work on various worlds and serves. You can see some of my work here.

 

The type of information I seek, let me give an example:

Did you know you can change the direction of texture of added materials to a chisel block? This is done by placing, lets say, a wood plank block, in the direction you want the grains to go, then right click it with the chisel, break it and then add it as a second block in your crafting grid with the host block you want to add the wooden texture to. This way your wooden texture in the block you're chiseling, will go in the direction you want it, and not in the "default" direction.

This type of info was all new to me, until I accidentally stumbled upon it, and not mentioned in any chiseling documentation (there hardly are any) that I have found.

This leads me to think (and hope) there are other "hidden" features like this in this game, that will further enhance the already incredible experience this game has to offer. I hope this can clarify a bit more, what type of information I'm looking for. Maybe some of the devs can enlighten us or create some documentation to features not widely known

I tried this with quarter logs to make my own interlinking log chiseled block and it will not let me add a rotated quarter log to another roated quarter rotated log

[LadyEdain]

On 1/4/2025 at 3:00 PM, Nameless_Owl said:

Necro post sorry, but this little advice about the direction of wood grain has saved my life, as I've been trying to make it work for hours now. So thank you so much! 

I'm not sure if I'm missing a step or if the game has been updated so this no longer works. But I put my log the direction I wanted it to go, clicked on it to make it a "chiseled" block, picked it up (in my inventory, it's going the way I need it to go), then I attempted to add it to my already-chiseled block, but it just threw it out on the ground; it would not accept it as an additional block.

Am I missing something here?

[Brady_The]

20 minutes ago, LadyEdain said:

Am I missing something here?

You can only add non-chiselled blocks to the selection.

[LadyEdain]

26 minutes ago, LadyEdain said:

I'm not sure if I'm missing a step or if the game has been updated so this no longer works. But I put my log the direction I wanted it to go, clicked on it to make it a "chiseled" block, picked it up (in my inventory, it's going the way I need it to go), then I attempted to add it to my already-chiseled block, but it just threw it out on the ground; it would not accept it as an additional block.

Am I missing something here?

Well, QP's Chisel Tools tutorial answered my question. @Vintarian Do what was mentioned before about orienting the block you want to add. Then, to add it to another chiseled block, you have to combine the two in the crafting grid (the main block above the one you want to add to it). Place the main block where you want it, then use the F key to add material, as usual; the added block will now be there.

I hope that allows you to do your interlinking. I was just wishing for a chain guardrail myself, but I think that's more complicated than I want to try; I'll have to stick to wooden handrails.

[Keapora]

Brand new player, as of this week, and accidentally stumbled onto chiseling. As I'm still in the earliest caveman phase of the game, I've been using the chisel to remove one single pixel (..."bit"?... "voxel"?) from a natural stone block, mining it out as it drops as a full 'chiseled' block -- not broken into stones, and then building my first home with it. This has cut down tremendously on work, materials, durability, and general waste.

I've noticed that now these blocks cannot be used as crafting materials (until restored), which is fine. I'm curious though if this has reduced the blocks' durability or hardness, or other properties. Whatever resistance they might have to explosions, or fire, or any other effect I'm unaware of. Minecraft uses a hardness property for explosive resistance, as an example; Terraria has crafted bricks that are incorruptible despite being made from corruptible raw materials. Any known changes to properties like this would be very valuable additions to any documentation made to the chiseling system!! Edited October 8, 2025 by Keapora

[Kulze]

On 10/8/2025 at 2:31 AM, Keapora said:

Brand new player, as of this week, and accidentally stumbled onto chiseling. As I'm still in the earliest caveman phase of the game, I've been using the chisel to remove one single pixel (..."bit"?... "voxel"?) from a natural stone block, mining it out as it drops as a full 'chiseled' block -- not broken into stones, and then building my first home with it. This has cut down tremendously on work, materials, durability, and general waste.

I've noticed that now these blocks cannot be used as crafting materials (until restored), which is fine. I'm curious though if this has reduced the blocks' durability or hardness, or other properties. Whatever resistance they might have to explosions, or fire, or any other effect I'm unaware of. Minecraft uses a hardness property for explosive resistance, as an example; Terraria has crafted bricks that are incorruptible despite being made from corruptible raw materials. Any known changes to properties like this would be very valuable additions to any documentation made to the chiseling system!!

There currently us no resistance modifier of any kind so you're good to go with that.

Also I like the idea of using the raw stone as a building material in this way without being forced to go through the usual quarry method in the game.

The only thing to look out for in terms of chiseling is that taking too much material away (which is a bit wonky on the exact limit) can cause it to become a 'non solid' block. This is important for things like enclosed rooms to keep temperature warmer in the winter or to impede waterflow and/or rain. I've yet to find out the exact detail as to when and why this happens exactly, but you can enforce it by making a hole into a side of a block and for example allow water to flow through, similar to a grate or even making it look like a sort of faucet this way. The water flowing out will take up the normal amount of space though, it takes a bit of fiddling aorund to design around this.

Another property which happens with chiseled blocks is in relation to dirt. Currently dirt doesn't recover into dirt that has grass (at least the green top-texture) growing on it if made into a chisel-block. Something which I would greatly enjoy to have happening in the future as it would allow detailed landscaping with smooth hills.

[Vratislav]

On 10/8/2025 at 2:31 AM, Keapora said:

Whatever resistance they might have to explosions, or fire, or any other effect I'm unaware of.

I may only guess as I did not burn my heavily chiseled manor yet  . But if you make multimaterial chiseled block, the fire resistance may be still developed from original material that is either stone or wood. It is usually writen there, but probably it also can be distinguisled by using axe or pickaxe to break it.

Theoretically, a stone block can be chiseled using wood to look entirely like wood (with some limits in wood or planks orienting I still have not fully grasped) and then, maybe, it will not burn if put into fire by accident. Will anyone try?

Also a limit I have found was when trying to chisel stone blocks I have used as a wall: Sometimes there is message that the result will be unstable and chiseling is prohibited. It happened to me with blocks put above windows, both with cave-ins turned on and off, but not in all cases...

[Vratislav]

However, there is one thing that makes me mad: I have plenty duds from chiseling windows, ornaments, roofs, railings and so on. Even if I make them full blocks that consist of the same materials, they do not stack in the storage. That's painful, as especially multimaterial blocks were pretty expansive, but if duds from one roof take whole trunk, I finally had to throw them away. 

Yeah, and they do not burn in firepit, despite being specified as "wood." There is probably ticket about it somewhere.

Edited October 23, 2025 by Vratislav