Create: Interval Filter

Create: Interval Filter

A small addon for Create that adds the Interval Filter — a filter item that configures a Deployer to activate at set distance intervals as a contraption moves.

What does it do?

Building automated contraptions in Create often requires placing items at precise, repeating intervals — something vanilla Deployers can't do on their own. The Interval Filter solves this. Place it in a Deployer's filter slot and it controls the cadence of activations: place items every 3rd block, every 10th block, or any interval up to 64 — with an optional offset to phase-shift where the pattern starts.

This opens up builds that were previously tedious or impossible to tune, such as:

• Evenly-spaced torch placement behind a mining drill
• Repeating decoration patterns on a wall or floor
• Skipping the first few blocks before a pattern begins
• Alternating between different items placed in sequence or at random

Before	After

Features

• Block Interval — Controls how many blocks the contraption travels between each Deployer activation. Supports values from 1 to 64.
• Initial Offset — Delays the start of the pattern by a set number of blocks. Useful for lining up placements without needing to redesign or reposition contraptions.

• Execution Modes — Two modes control what happens when a placement fails at the intended position:

  • Strict — Skips the activation and continues the pattern unchanged. Use this when exact positioning matters.
  • Best Effort — Keeps retrying on subsequent blocks until a placement succeeds. Use this when gaps are unacceptable.

• Placement Mode — Two modes control what happens when multiple items (up to 6) are configured:

  • Sequential — Cycles through all items in order each time the Deployer activates
  • Random — Selects one item at random for each activation.

Single Item	Multiple Items

Crafting

Craft any wool block with 2 × andesite alloy to create the Interval Filter.

Crafting a configured Interval Filter resets all stored settings back to defaults.

Usage

1. Craft the Interval Filter.
2. Right-click it to open the configuration screen.
3. Set the desired Block Interval and optionally an Initial Offset.
4. Add up to 6 items to the filter slots. Choose Strict or Best Effort mode depending on whether missed placements should be skipped or retried...and choose Sequential or Random if using multiple items.
5. Place the configured Interval Filter into the filter slot of a Deployer on your contraption or vehicle.

Note: The Interval Filter only works in a Deployer's filter slot on moving contraptions or Create Aeronautics vehicles. It cannot be used in other filter slots, and a Deployer on a stationary block will not activate with it.

Create Aeronautics

With Create Aeronautics installed, Deployers on Aeronautics vehicles also support the Interval Filter. This is optional — the mod works without it.

• Only horizontal distance counts toward the interval, so climbing or descending doesn't affect spacing.
• The first direction the vehicle moves in is treated as forward. Reversing winds the interval pattern back without placing, so it stays aligned when the vehicle drives forward again.
• Deployers don't need rotational power; placement is driven by distance traveled.

Known limitations:

• Vehicles must supply items to deployers, e.g. via a funnel or chute.
• Deployers can only place held items; cycling through multiple filter items is not supported.
• Rotation-sensitive blocks (e.g. stairs and logs) may follow the vehicle's orientation rather than the world's.
• Placement is less precise than on Create contraptions, so spacing may vary.

Notes

• Train Relocation — Using a Wrench to pick up and relocate a train resets the interval counter, offset, and sequence order. Regular stops (such as stations) do not reset progress.
• Teleporting — Teleporting or relocating a contraption restarts the pattern rather than counting as distance traveled. Trains keep their pattern through portals.
• Reversing — Nothing is placed while a contraption travels in reverse, but the pattern is remembered and continues unbroken when it moves forward again. Forward is the front of a train, or the first direction other contraptions move.
• The filter can be reconfigured at any time by right-clicking it in your hand. Placing it back into the Deployer applies the updated settings immediately.

FAQ

Does the Interval Filter work on non-train contraptions? Yes — it works on any moving contraption that includes a Deployer, such as those driven by a Minecraft w/Furnace, Mechanical Bearing or Contraption Controller.

What happens if the Deployer's item supply runs out mid-pattern? The Deployer behaves as normal — it simply won't activate until items are available again. The interval counter continues to advance.

Can I use multiple Interval Filters on the same contraption? Yes. Each Deployer tracks its own interval state independently.