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Weekly Tips #1: Building Around Your Environment

One of the best ways to make a great build is to build around the environment. Fancy plugins like World Edit and Voxel Sniper aren't always necessary. In the real world, people can't just edit the environment to their every whim and need. They have to work around it. Not only does building around your environment help to make your build look nicer, it helps to make it look more realistic. In the above picture, I could only make a small house because I wanted this build to work with the environment.

A hillside with a carved stone staircase leading to a cave entrance in a Minecraft landscape.

In this picture, I have built a small tunnel going through the cliff and not making it do some gravity-defying loop around it.

Minecraft landscape featuring a rocky cliff with grass and a cobblestone bridge.

In this picture, I build the pathway so that it uses the overhang as a support. Not only does it make the path look more realistic, but it makes the path fit in more with the build.

In this picture, I have built a small tunnel going through the cliff and not making it do some gravity-defying loop around it.

In this picture, I build the pathway so that it uses the overhang as a support. Not only does it make the path look more realistic, but it makes the path fit in more with the build.

Overall, using the environment to your advantage makes a build look more realistic and helps it to look even more amazing.

Apple's iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 updates are packed with new features, and you can try them before almost everyone else. First, check Gadget Hacks' list of supported iPhone and iPad models, then follow the step-by-step guide to install the iOS/iPadOS 26 beta — no paid developer account required.