Obtaining

Previously, the generic block could only be obtained using commands. However, since the block model is no longer used after the migration away from Optifine's Custom Item Textures feature, it is no longer obtainable by any means.

Behavior

When it was available, the block was actually not a type of real block at all. Rather, it was a custom model that was designed to sit inside of an Item Frame, and represent a block's texture. The original idea for creating custom blocks would have been using Barrier blocks with Item Frames inside - where the Item Frame would have an item with a custom model to simulate the block's appearance, while the Barrier would give the block physical collision. This technique is actually still in use with certain blocks, such as the Upgrade Station, however solid blocks now use the Note Block Technique. For more details on these techniques, see the Custom Block Techniques page.

The item's model within the inventory and elsewhere was positioned manually - as at the time, @haloman30, the resource pack's designer, was inexperienced in properly inheriting the vanilla Block model. As such, the block displays slightly incorrectly in the inventory, as well as in the hand - and the block can be seen slightly extending past the inventory slot's border.

While the generic block is no longer in use, it was replaced with the debug block, which displays as the generic block was originally intended to look. It does not use the Item Frame technique and instead uses the Note Block technique, and can still be obtained using commands.

History