Building Gadgets 2 in All the Mods 11

Building Gadgets 2 is a set of tools that lets you place, copy, move, swap and clear lots of blocks in one click. This pack ships version 1.4.6 of the mod. If you build big bases or hate placing blocks one at a time, this one is for you.^[1][2]

The gadgets

• Building Gadget: places many blocks at once. You Shift right-click a block to choose what to build with, and the default mode is Build to Me.^[2]
• Exchanging Gadget: swaps one set of blocks for another. It can't replace air, so use the Building Gadget for that. The default mode is Surface.^[3]
• Copy Paste Gadget: you select two opposing corners of a structure, then paste a copy of it elsewhere. It uses items from your inventory and skips any blocks you don't have items for.^[4]
• Cut Paste Gadget: works like Copy Paste but moves the structure, so pasting needs no items. It stores only one structure at a time and has no undo.^[5][6]
• Destruction Gadget: clears a large area, and the cleared blocks are voided.^[7]

Power and settings

Most gadget functions need Forge Energy (FE), so charge them before you start. Hold the settings key (default G) to open the settings menu, where you pick modes and tweak each gadget. The Building and Exchanging gadgets also have a range setting.^[8][9]

Handy extras

• Undo remembers the last 10 actions your gadget made.^[6]
• Bind Inventory lets a gadget pull items from a chest or other inventory. You can also bind it to an Applied Energistics 2 system through its wireless access point, and then range is unlimited.^[10]
• Gadgets can handle fluids, using buckets or tanks such as Mekanism's.^[11]
• Anchor locks in your current preview so you can move around before you build.^[12]

Unverified The sources do not show Building Gadgets 2 on the ATM Star path, and no quests in this pack involve it, so there is no confirmed place for it in the pack's progression.

Building Gadgets 2 is all about placing, swapping, copying and clearing huge numbers of blocks with a single click. Here is the order I'd go in, starting with the tool that gives you the most for the least effort.^[2][3][4][7]

First, sort out your power

Before you craft anything, know that the gadgets need Forge Energy (FE) for most of what they do. The mod's own guide says many mods can charge items with FE, and it points to a separate mod called Charging Gadgets as a fallback. Whether that mod is in this pack is unverified, so use whatever FE charging you already have.^[8]

Next, craft the Building Gadget

Start with the Building Gadget. It makes placing a large number of blocks all at once extremely easy, so it shows you what the mod does right away. This pack adds its own recipe for it, so use this one rather than the mod's default.^[2][13]

Building GadgetAdded by the pack

Shaped (kubejs)

Shaped (kubejs)

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
Diamond Gear	Lapis Lazuli	Diamond Gear
any iron ingot	any allthemodium nugget	any iron ingot

Recipe id: kubejs:kjs/buildinggadgets2_gadget_building

To use it, make sure it has some energy, then Shift right-click a block to choose what to build with. The default mode is Build to Me. A ghostly preview shows what will be placed, and a red overlay means you're missing items or energy. Right click to build. Blocks you don't have items for are skipped.^[2]

Then add the Exchanging Gadget

Next, make the Exchanging Gadget. It swaps one set of blocks for another, which is great for changing a wall's material. It can't replace air, so keep the Building Gadget for that. Its default mode is Surface, and you can enchant it with silk touch so grass doesn't just return dirt.^[3]

Exchanging GadgetMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
any diamond gem	any lapi gems	any diamond gem
any iron ingot	any lapi gems	any iron ingot

Recipe id: buildinggadgets2:gadget_exchanging

Copy your builds

Once you have a build worth repeating, craft the Copy Paste Gadget. In 'copy' mode, right click one corner of a structure and Shift right-click the opposite corner. Then switch to 'paste' mode and right click to place it. The 'material list' option in the settings menu shows which items you have and which you're missing.^[4]

Copy Paste GadgetMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
any emerald gem	any redstone dust	any emerald gem
any iron ingot	any lapi gems	any iron ingot

Recipe id: buildinggadgets2:gadget_copy_paste

If you want to keep designs, the Template Manager saves structures from the Copy Paste Gadget onto paper as templates. Put the gadget in the top slot and paper in the bottom slot, then click 'Save'.^[14]

Template ManagerMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
Paper	any redstone dust	Paper
any iron ingot	any lapi gems	any iron ingot

Recipe id: buildinggadgets2:template_manager

Clearing and moving

The Destruction Gadget clears a big area quickly, but the blocks are voided, so they don't drop as items. You can undo it if you slip up.^[7]

Destruction GadgetMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
any ender pearl	any redstone dust	any ender pearl
any iron ingot	any lapi gems	any iron ingot

Recipe id: buildinggadgets2:gadget_destruction

The Cut Paste Gadget moves a structure, chest contents and block configurations included. It holds only one structure at a time and has no undo, so be careful with it.^[5][6]

Cut Paste GadgetMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
Shears	any redstone dust	Shears
any iron ingot	any lapi gems	any iron ingot

Recipe id: buildinggadgets2:gadget_cut_paste

Building Gadgets 2 is a set of tools that place, swap, copy, move and clear blocks in bulk. Once you understand a few shared systems (energy, the settings menu, range, modes and undo), every gadget works much the same way.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]}

Power and the settings menu

The gadgets need Forge Energy (FE) for most of their functions, so charge them before you start. Many mods can charge items with FE, and the in-game guide also points to a separate mod called Charging Gadgets.^[8]

Hold the settings-menu key (default 'g') to open a gadget's settings. Each gadget has its own options, so look at what the menu offers for the one in your hand.^[8]

Building and exchanging

With the Building Gadget, first make sure it has energy. Then shift right-click a block to choose what to build with. The default mode is Build to Me. Aim at a block and you get a ghostly preview of what will be placed. Blocks you lack the items or energy for show a red overlay.^[2]

When you right-click, the gadget takes items from your inventory and places the blocks. Any block you don't have the item for is skipped.^[2]

Building GadgetAdded by the pack

Shaped (kubejs)

Shaped (kubejs)

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
Diamond Gear	Lapis Lazuli	Diamond Gear
any iron ingot	any allthemodium nugget	any iron ingot

Recipe id: kubejs:kjs/buildinggadgets2_gadget_building

The pack adds its own recipe for the Building Gadget.

The Exchanging Gadget works the same way but swaps existing blocks for the one you chose. It can't replace air, so use the Building Gadget for that. Its default mode is Surface. Items for the removed blocks are returned to you. You can enchant it with silk touch; without it, grass returns dirt, for example.^[3]

Undoing an exchange needs the right items in your inventory. If you turned grass into stone bricks, you need grass on you to swap it back.^[3]

Range and building modes

The building and exchanging gadgets have a range setting, which generally describes an area. In Horizontal Row mode a range of 3 means 3 blocks total, one on each side of the block you're looking at. For walls, a range of 3 builds a 3x3 wall. Even numbers are rounded, or change the wall's height slightly.^[9]

• Build to Me: builds a row from the face you're looking at to you, horizontal or vertical depending on the face. Range is ignored here, and 'place on top' builds to your head instead of your feet.^[15]
• Grid: places blocks in a grid, handy for torches or glowstone. A higher range spaces the blocks further apart until the area itself grows. It's also an exchanger mode.^[16]
• Horizontal Row: builds away from you in the direction you're looking, which is good for bridges. On the exchanger it swaps blocks to the left and right of your view.^[17]
• Horizontal Wall: with 'place on top' on, it builds an area above the block, or toward you if you look at a side. With it off, it builds around the block.^[18]
• Stairs: builds up and away from you or up and toward you, depending on whether you're above or below the block. The guide itself admits this mode is confusing.^[19]
• Surface: extends the set of blocks you're looking at. Fuzzy mode lets it target any blocks or only matching ones. On the exchanger, connected mode only swaps blocks connected to the ones you're looking at.^[20]
• Vertical Column: available on both gadgets. It builds up or down from a top or bottom face, or both up and down around a side face.^[21]
• Vertical Wall: builds a wall up or down from a top or bottom face, or around a side face.^[22]

'Place on top' behaves differently in each mode and does nothing in some. Toggle it and watch the preview.^[23]

Copy, cut and paste

With the Copy Paste Gadget, set 'copy' mode in the settings menu. Right-click one corner of a structure and shift right-click the opposite corner. A green outline appears around it. Switch to 'paste' mode for a ghostly preview, then right-click to place it. The block you right-clicked while copying is the structure's starting point. Pasting uses items from your inventory and skips any block you lack.^[4]

The 'material list' option in the settings menu shows a scrollable list of which items you have and which you're missing. The Adjust Placement window lets you nudge the start and end blocks with plus and minus buttons, or switch to absolute world coordinates. Paste mode has a similar window for the starting block.^[4]

The Cut Paste Gadget works the same way, but the outline is red. The structure isn't removed until you click 'cut' in the settings menu. Pasting needs no items because it reuses the blocks you removed. All block-entity data moves with it, including chest contents and block configurations.^[5]

Rotate turns a copy or cut structure around its starting point. Paste Replace is available only on these two gadgets. When it's off, they only overwrite blocks you could normally overwrite, like water and tall grass. That is risky with the Cut Paste Gadget because blocks can be lost. When it's on, the paste replaces any block, including air, which is great for building a house into a mountain.^[24][25]

Clearing areas

The Destruction Gadget clears a large area. Set the area in the settings menu relative to the block and face you're looking at. If you look at a top face, 'up' follows your screen. Right-click to remove every highlighted block. They are voided, not dropped. Undoing puts the blocks back without taking items from your inventory.^[7]

Saving structures with the Template Manager

The Template Manager saves structures from a Copy Paste Gadget. Put the gadget in the top slot and paper in the bottom slot, then click 'Save' to turn the paper into a template and show a render you can pan, spin and zoom. 'Load' copies a template's structure back onto the gadget. The render button toggles a Materials Mode with a list of needed materials.^[14]

Templates can be named, and the name shows on the item. 'Copy' puts a json string on your clipboard to share outside the game. A friend copies that string, then clicks 'paste' in the same GUI with paper in the bottom slot to recreate your structure.^[14]

Inventories, fluids and other options

Bind Inventory lets a gadget pull from and push to an inventory. Enable 'bind inventory' mode in the settings menu, then shift right-click a chest or other inventory. A blue box confirms it. Shift right-click a non-inventory block, like grass, to disconnect. You can also bind to an Applied Energistics 2 system through its wireless access point, and that connection has unlimited range.^[10]

Gadgets can handle fluids too. Turn on Raytrace Fluids, then shift right-click a fluid to select it. When it's on, exchangers can swap fluids and builders can build on top of them. When it's off, fluids are ignored and the gadgets build on the blocks behind them. To place a fluid you need a bucket containing it, or a tank from a mod like Mekanism, which has fluid removed or inserted. The Copy Paste Gadget handles fluids as well. When undoing or exchanging fluids, the gadget looks for an empty bucket or tank, and voids the fluid if it finds none.^[11][26]

• Undo reverses the gadget's last task and remembers the last 10 actions. Use the hotkey or the settings menu. The Cut Paste Gadget has no undo.^[6]
• Anchor locks in the block you're looking at so you can move and look around freely, and you can still right-click to build. Use its hotkey or the settings menu. Range changes may not apply until you remove and replace the anchor.^[12]
• Building animations default to 'grow'. Changing the animation is cosmetic and doesn't affect how the gadget works.^[27]

Building Gadgets 2 is a set of separate tools, and each one has its own crafting recipe in the pack. Most of their functions need Forge Energy (FE), so get a way to charge them before you start. The Building Gadget and the Exchanging Gadget both want some energy in them before you use them.^{[2][3][8][13]}

Crafting the gadgets

The pack adds its own recipe for the Building Gadget, so treat the recipe below as the pack's version and don't assume it matches the mod's default. The other gadgets and the Template Manager use the mod's own recipes.^[13]

Building GadgetAdded by the pack

Shaped (kubejs)

Shaped (kubejs)

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
Diamond Gear	Lapis Lazuli	Diamond Gear
any iron ingot	any allthemodium nugget	any iron ingot

Recipe id: kubejs:kjs/buildinggadgets2_gadget_building

This Building Gadget recipe is added by the pack.

Exchanging GadgetMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
any diamond gem	any lapi gems	any diamond gem
any iron ingot	any lapi gems	any iron ingot

Recipe id: buildinggadgets2:gadget_exchanging

The Exchanging Gadget uses the mod's own recipe.

Copy Paste GadgetMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
any emerald gem	any redstone dust	any emerald gem
any iron ingot	any lapi gems	any iron ingot

Recipe id: buildinggadgets2:gadget_copy_paste

The Copy Paste Gadget uses the mod's own recipe.

Cut Paste GadgetMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
Shears	any redstone dust	Shears
any iron ingot	any lapi gems	any iron ingot

Recipe id: buildinggadgets2:gadget_cut_paste

The Cut Paste Gadget uses the mod's own recipe.

Destruction GadgetMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
any ender pearl	any redstone dust	any ender pearl
any iron ingot	any lapi gems	any iron ingot

Recipe id: buildinggadgets2:gadget_destruction

The Destruction Gadget uses the mod's own recipe.

Template ManagerMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

any iron ingot	any redstone dust	any iron ingot
Paper	any redstone dust	Paper
any iron ingot	any lapi gems	any iron ingot

Recipe id: buildinggadgets2:template_manager

The Template Manager uses the mod's own recipe.

What each gadget gives you

• Building Gadget: places lots of blocks at once. Shift right-click a block to choose what to build with. The default mode is Build to Me, and the gadget skips any block you don't have the item for.^[2]
• Exchanging Gadget: swaps one set of blocks for another. It can't replace air, so use the Building Gadget for that. It can be enchanted with silk touch.^[3]
• Copy Paste Gadget: copies a structure by marking two opposing corners, then pastes it elsewhere. Pasting takes items from your inventory, and a material list in the settings menu shows what you have and what you're missing.^[4]
• Cut Paste Gadget: works like the Copy Paste Gadget but moves a structure, including block-entity data such as chest contents. Pasting needs no items because it reuses the blocks you removed.^[5]
• Destruction Gadget: clears a large area, and every cleared block is voided.^[7]