DEV Community: Davis Xie

How to Convert an Image into Minecraft Blocks, Materials, and Litematic

Davis Xie — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 06:26:50 +0000

Sunset Mountain Minecraft Blueprint

Here is a complete image-to-block workflow for a 48x32 Minecraft build. The converter provides the preview, exact material list, PNG blueprint, and optional Litematic export in one step.

Open the example: https://blockartlab.com/image-to-litematic#sunset-mountain?utm_source=offsite&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=sunset-mountain-blueprint

Try the workflow

BlockArtLab converts an image into a Minecraft blueprint, exact material list, PNG guide, CSV export, and Java Edition Litematic file.

Try it here:

https://blockartlab.com/image-to-litematic?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=sunset-mountain-blueprint

How to Convert Images to Buildable Minecraft Pixel Art with Exact Materials

Davis Xie — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:13:53 +0000

title: How to Convert Images to Buildable Minecraft Pixel Art with Exact Materials
published: true

tags: minecraft, tutorial, gaming, opensource

Originally published at blockartlab.com
Disclosure: I built BlockArtLab, the free browser tool used in this guide.
Most image-to-pixel-art tools stop at a preview. That is useful for seeing the idea, but it leaves the difficult questions unanswered: How large should the build be? Which real blocks should I collect? How many stacks of each color do I need?
This tutorial covers the complete workflow from source image to a blueprint you can construct.

1. Pick an image that survives low resolution

Minecraft pixel art works best when the source has one recognizable subject, a clear silhouette, and strong contrast. Logos, flags, game characters, and illustrated portraits usually survive conversion better than photographs with a busy background.
Before uploading the image:

Crop unused space around the subject
Remove distracting background objects
Make important features such as eyes or lettering larger
Increase contrast if the subject blends into the background ## 2. Choose dimensions by material cost One converted pixel equals one placed block. The total block count is: width × height = total blocks | Size | Total blocks | Best use | |------|-------------|----------| | 16 × 16 | 256 | simple symbols and prototypes | | 32 × 32 | 1,024 | small survival logos and characters | | 64 × 64 | 4,096 | portraits, shading, and medium text | | 128 × 128 | 16,384 | a classic single-map-sized canvas | Doubling both sides multiplies the material count by four. For a first wall build, start between 32 and 64 blocks wide. ## 3. Choose a practical block palette I use three simple palette strategies:
Concrete only for logos, flags, cartoons, and saturated colors
Survival friendly for accessible concrete, wood, stone, sandstone, moss, and similar materials
Full palette when a closer color match matters more than collection cost ## 4. Decide between wall art and flat map art
Wall art is vertical: horizontal X and vertical Y, one block deep
Flat map or floor art is horizontal: X and Z, one block high Choose the direction before exporting. Otherwise, you may have to rotate or rebuild the schematic manually. ## 5. Export a construction package A usable conversion should give you:
PNG grid: the universal manual blueprint
CSV material list: each block name, exact quantity, and stack estimate
Litematic: an in-game placement overlay for Minecraft Java Edition ## 6. Java Edition and Bedrock Edition are different Java Edition players can export a .litematic file and load it with the Litematica client-side mod. Bedrock Edition does not directly import Java Litematic files. Bedrock, console, and mobile players should use the PNG grid and CSV material list for manual construction. ## Try it I built a browser tool called BlockArtLab for this workflow. It processes images locally (no upload), shows exact material counts with stack estimates, and exports PNG, CSV, and .litematic directly.
Minecraft Image Converter
Image to Minecraft Pixel Art Guide

- Litematic Export Guide

I Built an AI Brand Name Generator — Here's What I Learned

Davis Xie — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 05:47:38 +0000

I Built an AI Brand Name Generator in 48 Hours — And Got My First Paying Customer

One months ago, I had an idea for a brand name. I spent three hours brainstorming.
Every name I liked either had a taken .com or a trademark conflict.

I thought: there has to be a better way.

48 hours later, I had a working product. One week later, I got my first paying
customer.

Here's what happened.

The Build

I built https://www.namingcube.com in 48 hours. No funding, no team, just evenings and weekends with Claude Code.

The stack:

Next.js + Tailwind CSS
OpenRouter API (GPT-level AI)
Verisign RDAP API (real-time .com/.net lookup)
USPTO open data (trademark screening)
Creem (payment — license keys, no account needed)

The idea was dead simple: generate brand names, show you which ones you can actually
own. No signup, no friction.

The funny part: I named the tool "Naming Cube." When I checked if the domain was
available... it was. I bought namingcube.com using the tool I had just built.

That felt like a good sign.

Launching on TAAFT

I posted on TAAFT (There's An AI For That) — the AI tools directory where early
adopters go to find new tools. Within days, the traffic started flowing.

Users tried the tool. Some hit the daily free limit. A few upgraded.

One week after launch, I got my first payment notification from Creem: $9.90.

Someone paid real money for something I built in 48 hours.

What I Learned

Speed beats perfection

The first version was rough. But users got value immediately — 10 seconds to a result,
try again for free. Speed of feedback beats polish at launch.

The product is the marketing

When a user sees their dream name has an available .com domain, they don't need
convincing. The product shows the value directly. My upgrade rate isn't from sales
emails — it's from the results page.

The first payment changes you

$9.90 isn't life-changing money. But it confirmed someone found real value in
something I built. That changes how you think about what you're doing.

48 hours is enough

I kept waiting to add features. Trademark screening wasn't perfect. The AI prompts
could be better. But shipped beats perfect. Always.

What's Next

I'm still building. Still watching the TAAFT stats. Still getting small notifications
that feel bigger than they are.

If you've been putting off that side project because you're not ready — you're not. No
one is. Ship it anyway.

You might be 48 hours away from your first payment.