Build the Earth

For other uses, see BTE (disambiguation).

Build the Earth
Type of project1:1 scale recreation of Earth in the video game Minecraft
FounderPippenFTS
EstablishedMarch 2020; 4 years ago (March 2020)
Websitebuildtheearth.net

Build the Earth (BTE) is a project dedicated to creating a 1:1 scale model of Earth within the sandbox video game Minecraft.

History

Aerial render of the Build The Earth project on a modified Airocean World Map

Build the Earth was created by YouTuber PippenFTS in March 2020 as a collaborative effort to recreate Earth in the video game Minecraft.[1] During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the server aimed to provide players with the opportunity to virtually experience and construct the world. In a YouTube video, PippenFTS called for prospective participants to recreate man-made structures over a rudimentary model of Earth's terrain.[2][3] A Discord server created to help coordinate the project[4] attracted over a hundred thousand users by April 2020.[5]

Following unsuccessful attempts to generate terrain using a Mercator projection, organizers opted for a modified version of the Dymaxion map projection. The alternative approach prioritized minimizing distortions in land masses, at the cost of highly distorted oceans.[6]

Minecraft developer Mojang Studios featured the project on their website on Earth Day 2020.[7] In July 2020, YouTuber MrBeast released a video where he and 50 other people built his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina within the project.[8]

In 2020, a full sized recreation of the Taj Mahal was completed on the server by Daniel Tan.[9] In 2022, a team of over 2,000 players constructed a recreation of many places in New York City on a 1:1 scale, including many famous sites such as the 9/11 memorial, New York County Supreme Court, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Soho.[6] A team of over 400 players has completed construction on multiple buildings from Portugal, including the Algarve International Circuit.[10]

Software

The Build The Earth project primarily depends on two Minecraft modifications to function: Cubic Chunks and Terra++. Cubic Chunks removes Minecraft's limitation on building structures beyond a certain height. Terra++ uses information from geographic data services, such as OpenStreetMap,[11] to automatically generate terrain to ease the building process. The project originally used the Terra 1-to-1 mod instead of Terra++.[4][12] PippenFTS stated that "with the Cubic Chunks mod breaking Minecraft's vertical limitations, we can now experience the Earth in Minecraft, just as it is, with no downscaling of any kind."[4]

References

  1. ^ Cooke, Alex (2020-10-21). "Halifax teen working to 'Build the Earth' in Minecraft". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  2. ^ Clayton, Natalie (2020-03-28). "Minecraft mod recreates the Earth to scale – and now it wants players to fill in the gaps". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 2020-12-05. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  3. ^ Gault, Matthew (2020-04-02). "Thousands of People Are Building a 1:1 Recreation of Earth in 'Minecraft'". Vice. Archived from the original on 2020-09-13. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  4. ^ a b c Kent, Emma (2020-03-27). "Someone's built the entire Earth in Minecraft - to scale". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  5. ^ Cuthbertson, Anthony (2020-04-07). "Tens of thousands of people are building the Earth on a 1:1 scale in Minecraft". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  6. ^ a b Karel, Daniel (2022-03-10). "The 2,731-Person Project to Build New York City in Minecraft". Curbed. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  7. ^ Dankis, Sofia (2020-04-22). "It's Earth Day Again!". Mojang Studios. Archived from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  8. ^ Aldridge, Bailey (2020-07-06). "North Carolina-based YouTube star MrBeast builds his hometown Raleigh in Minecraft". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  9. ^ "Gamers Recreated the Taj Mahal in Minecraft With 1:1 Ratio & It Looks Stunning". MensXP. 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  10. ^ "Building Portugal – Virtually". www.theportugalnews.com. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  11. ^ "Home · BuildTheEarth/terraplusplus Wiki". GitHub. Archived from the original on 2022-03-13. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  12. ^ Prescott, Shaun (2020-03-30). "A 1:1 scale model of Earth is possible in Minecraft, with mods and your help". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2020-10-10. Retrieved 2020-09-11.