WorldEdit, Mask and Brush Reference

Why Masks and Brushes Matter

WorldEdit's power goes far beyond //set and //replace. Masks let you control which blocks a command affects, and brushes let you paint terrain freehand. Together, they form the backbone of professional Minecraft terraforming. This worldedit mask brush reference covers every mask type, brush shape, and pattern combination you will use in practice.

If you have not set up WorldEdit yet, start with our WorldEdit setup guide to get the plugin installed and permissions configured.

Mask Types

A mask restricts which blocks an operation modifies. You apply masks with the //mask command for selections or /mask for brushes.

Block Mask

The simplest mask. Only affect blocks of a specific type:

//mask stone
//replace grass_block

This replaces only stone blocks within your selection with grass blocks. All other block types remain untouched.

Negation Mask

Prefix with ! to invert. Affect everything except the specified block:

//mask !air
//set stone

This fills every non-air block in the selection with stone, leaving air gaps intact. Useful for replacing a mixed surface without filling caves.

Existing Block Mask (#existing)

Only affect blocks that are not air:

//mask #existing
//replace sand

This is a fast way to retexture terrain without filling open space.

Region Mask

Restrict operations to a WorldGuard region or a specific area. Combine with brushes for safe editing near protected zones.

Combining Masks

Use commas for OR logic and ampersands for AND logic:

//mask stone,cobblestone       // affects stone OR cobblestone
//mask >air&stone              // affects stone blocks with air above

The > prefix is an "above" mask, meaning the block above must match. Similarly, < checks the block below. This is essential for surface-only operations, a key technique in any mask and brush workflow.

Brush Types

Brushes apply edits where you right-click with a bound tool. Bind a brush with //brush or //br.

Sphere Brush

//br sphere stone 5

Places a sphere of stone with radius 5 at the clicked location. Combine with a mask to only replace specific blocks:

//br sphere grass_block 4
/mask dirt,stone

Now the sphere only converts dirt and stone to grass, leaving everything else untouched.

Cylinder Brush

//br cyl sandstone 6 3

Creates a cylinder with radius 6 and height 3. Useful for plateaus and flat-topped terrain features.

Smooth Brush

//br smooth 5 3

Smooths terrain in a radius of 5 with 3 iterations. This is the go-to brush for blending harsh cliff edges after roughing out terrain with sphere or clipboard brushes. More iterations produce smoother results but process more blocks per click.

Clipboard Brush

//copy
//br clipboard

Pastes your clipboard at the clicked location. Combined with -a (skip air blocks), this is perfect for scattering trees, rocks, or custom structures across a landscape. This technique is how professional builders populate large areas with organic detail.

Gravity Brush

//br gravity 5

Drops floating blocks downward within the radius. Run this after rough terraforming to eliminate floating dirt and stone patches.

Patterns

Patterns control what blocks a brush or command places. Beyond single block types, WorldEdit supports weighted random patterns:

//br sphere 70%stone,20%cobblestone,10%andesite 5

This places a randomized mix of stone variants, creating a natural look instead of uniform surfaces. Use patterns with any brush for organic results.

Gradient Pattern

//br sphere ##smoothstone 5

The ## prefix uses a block category for random variation within a type group.

Practical Workflow: Terraforming a Mountain

1. Rough out the shape with //br sphere stone 8
2. Smooth edges with //br smooth 6 4
3. Apply surface mask: /mask >air
4. Paint surface with //br sphere 60%grass_block,30%dirt,10%coarse_dirt 5
5. Scatter details with a clipboard brush containing trees

Each step builds on the previous one. Masks ensure you only affect the right blocks, brushes let you work intuitively, and patterns add the variation that makes terrain look believable.

Performance Considerations

Large brush radii process thousands of blocks per click. On busy servers, limit brush radius to 10 or less for regular builders and reserve larger radii for admins. If you run FAWE instead of standard WorldEdit, you get async processing that reduces lag, but watch for the format issues described in our WorldEdit guide. This worldedit mask brush reference intentionally focuses on vanilla WorldEdit syntax, which FAWE also supports.

Summary

Masks filter which blocks are affected, brushes control how edits are applied, and patterns determine what gets placed. Master the combination of all three and you can terraform entire landscapes in minutes instead of hours. Keep this worldedit mask brush reference handy as you build, the syntax is consistent and composable.

See it live: Astroworld MC, IP play.astroworldmc.com, Java + Bedrock.