Beacon Gradient Calculator
by Kroniichiwa
Beacon Gradient Calculator helps players work out which stained glass panes produce a chosen color gradient in a beacon beam, for a Fabric client on Minecraft 1.21.4.
What it does
Players enter a starting color and an ending color, either as a hex value or as a basic color name such as red, along with the number of beacons they plan to place. The calculator then searches for stained glass combinations whose beam colors approximate each step of the gradient between those two endpoints.
The search is driven by an algorithm that computes beacon beam colors from stained glass, following the method described on the Minecraft Wiki page about beacons. A setting determines the number of candidate glass stacks evaluated simultaneously while the search works toward the desired shade. The output reports the color each combination can reach and the margin of error between that color and the requested target.
The mod is released under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 or later, and it is open source, with public links to the source code and issue tracker. It runs on the client alone, so a server does not need it and players do not need to install it on multiplayer servers.
Key features
Gradient input
Set a starting color and an ending color to define the gradient that the beacon beam should show.
Hex and named colors
Colors can be entered as hex values or as basic named colors such as red, depending on what the player has at hand.
Beacon count
Specify how many beacons will be placed so the calculation divides the gradient across them.
Candidate stack limit
A setting controls how many candidate glass stacks are evaluated simultaneously during the approximation.
Error margin report
Each result shows the margin of error between the color that glass panes can reach and the targeted color.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Who it’s for: Players who build beacon light displays in survival or creative worlds and want to plan the glass panes ahead of construction. The mod is a client-side tool, so it suits single-player players and anyone playing on a server that does not require it.
How it compares
Beacons is a Fabric client mod for 1.21.10 under the MIT License, and it is not open source. Simple Calculator is a Fabric client mod for 1.21.5 under the MIT License, and it is open source. Both are general tools rather than gradient planners for beacon beams, so this calculator covers a narrower purpose.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beacon Gradient Calculator | Fabric | 1.21.4 | Client-side only | 2025-09-26 |
| Beacons | Fabric | 1.21.10 | Client-side only | 2026-06-17 |
| Simple Calculator | Fabric | 1.21.5 | Client-side only | 2025-05-27 |
Questions
Does Beacon Gradient Calculator need a server install?
Which Minecraft version does it support?
Can it take colors without hex codes?
In the catalog
Beacon Gradient Calculator is one of 36,990 Utility mods on ModsFinder, and one of 25,772 Utility mods for Fabric. 17,979 mods support Minecraft 1.21.4.
More from Kroniichiwa
Similar mods
What the author says
The mod will output the target color and the color it was able to achieve by using glass panes for the beacon beam. This will also give the margin of error the actual color is from the targeted color. This calculation is referenced from the minecraft wiki page for beacons
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/beacon-gradient-calculator
- Owner
- Kroniichiwa
- Published
- 2025-09-26
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-09-26
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15