ModelShifter
ModelShifter lets each player swap their own character model for one of many custom models, and only that player's client shows the change.
What it does
Players can change the appearance of their own player model, and of other players, to a set of pre-defined models such as cats and ghasts. The change is completely client-side, so it works like a resource pack: other players see the new model only on their own screen, and the server does not need to run anything for it to take effect. Geckolib is required and is added automatically when the mod is installed through the Modrinth app.
Model selection happens in a GUI opened from a purple button in the options menu, where players can pick, disable or reset their custom model. The author describes a broad selection of models with more planned for future updates, and a gallery of examples is linked from the project page. The mod is published for Fabric and Quilt across 7 release versions, and its latest file is 1.2.1 for 1.21.4.
Key features
Client-side model swapping
Changes to a player's model are applied on the client only, so no server-side install is involved in showing them.
Pre-defined model library
A set of ready-made models, including cats and ghasts, can be chosen for the local player or for other players.
Model selection screen
A dedicated GUI, reached from a purple button in the options menu, lists the available models and lets players turn the custom model off.
Model animation creator
A tool for building animated models is included, alongside a bug finder and a flat player option.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 1
Use cases
Who it’s for: Players who want to change how characters look in singleplayer or on servers, and model creators who want to build animated custom models for the mod.
How it compares
Cursed ghasts is a Fabric-only, client and server mod under the MIT License, published for 1.20 – 1.21.1, so it covers a narrower set of loaders and versions than ModelShifter. Armadillo Drops Scute is open source under the MIT License and runs on Fabric, Forge and Quilt for 1.20.5 – 1.21, but it is server required with the client optional, which is the opposite of ModelShifter's client-side only setup. Flat Cats supports Fabric, Forge and NeoForge for 1.20.1 – 1.21.4 with a client and server environment, and it is not open source, being released under All rights reserved.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ModelShifter | Fabric and Quilt | 1.20.1 – 1.21.4 | Client-side only | 2025-02-26 |
| Cursed ghasts | Fabric | 1.20 – 1.21.1 | Client and server | 2024-09-08 |
| Armadillo Drops Scute | Fabric, Forge and Quilt | 1.20.5 – 1.21 | Server required, client optional | 2024-07-10 |
| Flat Cats | Fabric, Forge and NeoForge | 1.20.1 – 1.21.4 | Client and server | 2024-12-25 |
Questions
Does ModelShifter need Geckolib?
Does a server need ModelShifter to show custom models?
Which loaders and versions does ModelShifter support?
In the catalog
ModelShifter is one of 7,555 Cursed mods on ModsFinder, and one of 4,235 Cursed mods for Fabric. 17,979 mods support Minecraft 1.21.4.
Similar mods
What the author says
ModelShifter allows you to change the appearance of players completely client-side, while using the power of mods to add way more cool details than a simple resource pack ever could! Change yourself and others into cats, ghasts and many more pre-defined models. Ever wanted to play a minigame with everyone being a…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/model-shifter
- Owner
- Membercat Studios
- Published
- 2024-08-24
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-02-26
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15