Rethinking Voxels
🟠 Updated over a year ago⚠️ Install Order · 1 step
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
🖼️ Gallery (8 images)
🔍 Analysis
- 👍 0.0% endorsement rate
- 🏆 #6 of 72 colored-lighting mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
# Rethinking Voxels
This shader is an edit of (https://www.complementary.dev/reimagined) that aims to be decently fast (when compared to path tracing shaders) while having block lights cast sharp shadows.
The lighting system is not perfect. Occasional sudden brightness changes are a side-effect of the way it works and cannot be completely removed without hurting performance or removing sharp shadows from light sources. To do the latter, disable `Per-Pixel Lighting` in the `Rethinking Voxels Settings`.
This shader is developed on Iris, using an AMD graphics card on linux, and it is also tested on an NVidia graphics card on linux. While it usually works on other platforms, bugs that appear only there are not caught by my testing and hence they take longer to fix. To use this shader pack, the Iris shader loader is required. Beta 18d and older versions also work on OptiFine.
### Contact
If you need support, please join the (https://discord.gg/8wT5KxF4TZ), where this shader has a channel (#rethinking-voxels-gri573).
### Partnership
I have entered a partnership with Ember, a Minecraft server hosting provider. This is because Ember hosts the complementary SMP server and has provided a better hosting experience / customer support than the previous hosting service, and because they reached out asking about it. If you need to host a Minecraft server and wish to support Rethinking Voxels' development at the same time, do check them out! Using the promotional code `RETHINKING` in a first-time purchase will redirect 70% of the first month's fee to me as well as give you a 10% discount.
[!(https://cdn.modrinth.com/data/cached_images/394d7c1de5f4581320d26006966f7e09984c10ce.png)](https://billing.ember.host/aff.php?aff=13)
Video by youtube user iambeen that showcases rethinking voxels beta 18d (with custom settings), compared to the original reimagined:
Rethinking Voxels is a shader pack for Minecraft that modifies Complementary Reimagined to provide fast performance with sharp block light shadows. It requires Iris and is actively updated, with over 4,400 endorsements and 12.4 million downloads. Ideal for players seeking high-quality lighting without the heavy cost of path tracing.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Huge community trust with 4,400 endorsements and 12.4M downloads
- Sharp shadows from block lights without the performance hit of path tracing
- Active development with recent update (June 2025)
⚠️ Cons
- Lighting system can cause occasional sudden brightness changes
- Bugs on non-Linux platforms may take longer to fix due to limited testing
- Requires Iris, so OptiFine users are limited to older versions
This is for Minecraft players who want beautiful, realistic lighting with sharp shadows but don't have a high-end GPU for path tracing. It's also great for Linux users with AMD or NVIDIA cards, as it's well-tested there. If you're on Iris and want a performance-friendly shader that still looks stunning, this is a solid pick.
💡 Beginner Tips
- If you notice sudden brightness changes, try disabling Per-Pixel Lighting in the shader settings to smooth things out.
- Make sure you're using Iris, as OptiFine only works with beta 18d and older versions.
- Join the Discord server for support and to see community settings that improve visuals.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Minecraft Shaders
- Author
- gri573
- Version
- r0.1-beta9
- Downloads
- 12,428,300
- Endorsements
- 4,400
- Category
- colored-lighting
- Created
- 1/8/2023
- Updated
- 6/19/2025
- Game Versions
- 1.20.1, 1.20.4, 1.21.1, 1.21.2, 1.21.3
- Tags
- colored-lighting, shadows
🔧 How to Install Minecraft Shaders Mods
Download from Modrinth. Use Prism Launcher or drop into your mods folder.
📖 Full step-by-step install guide for Minecraft Shaders →
Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.
🎮 Need cheat codes or console commands? Check ur gaming wiki for Minecraft Shaders commands, item IDs, and more.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Which Minecraft Shaders versions does Rethinking Voxels support?
The author lists 1.20.1, 1.20.4, 1.21.1, 1.21.2, 1.21.3, 1.21.4. Other versions may work but are untested by the author.
What is the latest version of Rethinking Voxels?
Version r0.1-beta9, published 2025-06-19 with 12.4M downloads recorded at the source.
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