What Geckolib does
Geckolib is an animation library for Minecraft mods. And it gives developers a way to play 3D animations on entities, blocks, items, and armor. On its own it adds nothing you can see in game. You install it because another mod you want depends on it.
The project's repository describes it as an animation and rendering engine built around keyframe-based 3D animation, so the same system covers both the animation data and the rendering side.
Main capabilities
The verified feature list from the source pages:
- Keyframe-based 3D animations for entities, blocks, items, and armor
- More than 30 easing functions
- Concurrent animation support, so several animations can run at once
- Keyframes that fire sounds, particles, or custom events
- Math-based animations
Documentation is kept as a wiki, and the author runs a Discord for setup questions.
Who it's for
Mod developers are the main audience. Look, geckolib gives them a shared rig and animation system instead of one written from scratch per project. Pull requests are welcome, and the author asks for an issue first on larger changes.
The other group is players. If a mod you installed lists Geckolib as a requirement, you add it the same way as any other mod, by placing the file in your mods folder. Nothing else is needed on your part.
Compatibility
Geckolib is available for NeoForge, Forge, and Fabric.
The Modrinth record lists support for Minecraft 26.2 and 1.21.1. Those are the two versions named. Don't assume every version between them works.
Client side is required, so the mod has to be present on the game client. Server side is optional. A server can load it but doesn't have to.
The license is MIT. On Modrinth the project sits under the Game Mechanics, Libraries and APIs, and Utility and Quality of Life categories.
Cost
The mod is free. A author takes optional donations through Ko-fi. One official pages also carry a BisectHosting sponsorship with a promo code, which is an ad and not part of the mod itself.
