Mod Architecture & Setup

Item Glow is a high-performance, client-side only HUD enhancement for Fabric 1.21.1. It is designed with modularity at its core.

The Internal Engine

Unlike traditional HUD mods that simply draw over the screen, Item Glow uses a custom Deferred Layout Engine. This allows elements to negotiate their own screen real-estate before a single pixel is drawn.

Mixin Hooks

I use specialized Mixins to inject into the Minecraft render cycle, ensuring my HUD draws at the perfect layer—above the hotbar but below full-screen GUIs.

Zero Overheads

My rendering engine is optimized to use less than 0.1ms of frame time. I use record-based data structures to minimize GC pressure.

Modular API

The entire HUD is built using the same API I expose to you. Every "default" element is just a plugin to the core engine.

Dependency Setup

To build on top of Item Glow, you'll need to add it as a dependency in your build.gradle. I host all my builds on JitPack for easy access.

build.gradle

repositories {
    maven { url 'https://jitpack.io' }
    maven { url 'https://maven.terraformersmc.com/releases/' }
    maven { url 'https://maven.shedaniel.me/' }
}

dependencies {
    modImplementation 'com.github.km5777:ItemGlow:v1.0.6'
}

Modern Setup (settings.gradle)

If your project uses centralized repository management, add JitPack to your settings.gradle instead:

settings.gradle

dependencyResolutionManagement {
    repositories {
        mavenCentral()
        maven { url 'https://jitpack.io' }
    }
}

Transitive Dependencies

Item Glow depends on Fabric API and Cloth Config. These will be automatically pulled in by Gradle when you add my mod.

Project Structure

When you look inside my mod's source, you'll find a clean separation between the rendering engine and the UI elements:

Package	Purpose
`com.itemglow.api`	The public-facing interface for all mod integrations and custom elements.
`com.itemglow.elements`	Implementation of the default HUD elements (Names, Durability, Enchants).
`com.itemglow.mixin`	The "surgical" hooks into Minecraft's internal rendering and tick logic.
`com.itemglow`	The core mod initializer, config management, and main HUD renderer.