Layer mode is Litematica’s render layers system: instead of drawing the whole schematic at once, it can draw only one horizontal layer of the build, or everything up to that layer. For a two-block-high farm this is a convenience; for a twenty-storey tower or a dense redstone machine it is the difference between a hologram you can read and a translucent soup. This guide explains the modes, the keys that move between layers, and the layer-by-layer workflow most builders settle into. It assumes you have a placement loaded — see how to load schematics if you do not.
Why Layers Exist
A full schematic renders every block of every floor simultaneously, each one translucent. Floors hide each other, redstone dust merges visually with the blocks three layers up, and it becomes genuinely hard to tell which layer a ghost block belongs to. Buildings, however, are physically constructed one layer at a time — you cannot place the tenth floor before the ninth exists. Layer mode aligns what you see with what you can actually do next: only the current floor (and, if you want, the finished floors beneath it) is drawn, so every visible ghost block is a block you could place right now.
The Render Layer Modes
The modes live in the Render Layers settings — there is a Render Layers menu in the mod, and the same controls are a tab of the configuration GUI (M + C). The modes that matter:
- All layers — the whole schematic, all the time. Right for small builds and for admiring the finished shape; wrong for building anything tall.
- Single Layer — only the one selected Y layer is drawn. Maximum clarity; the mode for redstone floors, dense machinery and anywhere two layers would visually collide.
- All Below — the selected layer and every layer under it. The natural construction mode: your finished work stays visible as reference and physical support, while the unbuilt floors above stay out of the way.
Whichever mode you choose, you set which layer is “current”, and the hologram follows. Tall blocks deserve one mental note: a door, a bed or a two-block plant occupies two layers, so its top half belongs to the layer above — when it appears as you step up, that is the schematic being correct, not a rendering bug.
Stepping Through Layers
While building, you rarely reopen the settings: Page Up and Page Down move the current layer up and down. The rhythm becomes automatic — finish a floor, Page Up, build the next. If you need to jump to a specific height (returning to a half-finished floor, for example), set the layer directly in the Render Layers settings instead of paging through twenty floors.
The Layer-by-Layer Workflow
- Load the placement and set the layer mode to All Below (or Single Layer for dense floors), starting at the build’s lowest layer.
- Gather for the whole project against the material list — the list always covers the full placement, whatever the render layers show — but feel free to stage materials floor by floor on very large builds.
- Build the visible layer completely. With Easy Place in single player, a flat floor is a quick sweep; by hand, the single-layer view keeps every target unambiguous.
- Page Up and repeat. Finished floors remain visible under you in All Below mode, which makes aligning columns, pipes and wiring across floors trivial.
- At the top, switch back to All layers, look the whole build over, and run the Schematic Verifier (M + V) for the final check.
Performance: The Other Reason to Use Layers
Every ghost block is geometry the game has to draw each frame. A megabase schematic rendered in full can mean hundreds of thousands of translucent blocks, and the frame rate cost is real even on good hardware. Showing one layer — or just the layers below — typically removes the overwhelming majority of that rendering load. If a big placement makes your game stutter when you look at it, layer mode is the fix, long before graphics settings enter the conversation.
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting layer mode is on. A schematic that “only shows the bottom floor” is usually a layer mode left at the ground layer — check the mode before reloading anything.
- Building in Single Layer what should be All Below. Without the finished floors visible, it is easy to misalign anything that spans floors.
- Gathering per layer. The material list is whole-placement; per-layer shopping means repeat trips. Gather big, build in layers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest way to switch layers in Litematica?
The Page Up and Page Down keys move the active render layer up and down while you build. Set the mode itself — single layer, all below, or everything — in the Render Layers settings of the config GUI (M + C), or through the Render Layers menu, and then step between floors with the keys.
Which layer mode is best for survival building?
All Below, for most builds: it shows the layer you are working on plus everything underneath it, so finished floors give context and support while the unbuilt floors above stay invisible. Switch to Single Layer when a floor is dense — redstone layers especially — and you need zero visual clutter.
Does layer mode change the material list or the verifier?
No. Render layers only control what the hologram draws. The material list always counts the whole placement, and the verifier always checks the whole placement — which is why you gather against the full list but build layer by layer.
Does showing fewer layers improve performance?
Yes. The hologram is rendered geometry, and a huge schematic shown in full is a lot of translucent blocks to draw every frame. Restricting the render to one layer, or to the layers below your current floor, removes most of that load, which is noticeable on large builds and modest hardware.
Next Steps
Layers are step four of the full loop in how to use Litematica. Combine this guide with the material list guide for gathering, and the verifier guide for the sign-off at the end of the build.