You can hide a bubble elevator in Minecraft using a clever technique involving powdered snow to create an invisible bubble column.
Creating an Invisible Bubble Elevator
A standard bubble elevator relies on soul sand to create bubble columns in water, allowing players to quickly ascend. While effective, the water source and bubbles are visible. To hide the elevator, you can use a method that makes the bubble column appear without visible water blocks surrounding it.
Based on the technique shown in the provided reference, powdered snow can be used as a temporary block to set up an invisible bubble stream.
The Powdered Snow Method
This method leverages a unique interaction between powdered snow and bubble streams in Minecraft:
- Setup: Build the structure for your bubble elevator shaft, typically a 1x1 or 2x2 vertical tunnel. Instead of filling it directly with water from the top, you can temporarily fill the shaft with powdered snow.
- Introducing Water: Carefully place a water source at the top of the powdered snow column. The reference notes that the "water so it allows the bubble stream to go through the powdered snow." This suggests the water interacts with the powdered snow in a way that still facilitates bubble column creation below.
- Adding Soul Sand: Place soul sand blocks at the bottom of the column, beneath the powdered snow layer. Once water is present, this will initiate the bubble column upwards.
- Removing Powdered Snow: The key step is removing the powdered snow blocks. The reference explicitly states, "But then when the powdered snow gets deleted. For for some reason it doesn't delete the bubbles." This implies that after the powdered snow is broken, the bubble column remains active without visible water source blocks filling the space, effectively creating an invisible elevator shaft that still provides the bubble column effect.
Practical Considerations
- Water Source Persistence: While the visible water blocks are gone after removing the powdered snow, the underlying mechanism for the bubble column (likely tied to a non-visible water state or the soul sand interaction) must persist. You might still need a water source block at the top before removing the snow to initiate the process correctly.
- Accessibility: Players can pass through the space where the powdered snow was, and the bubble column effect will push them upwards.
- Lighting and Aesthetics: The hidden nature allows for more creative builds without visible water in unwanted areas. You can decorate the shaft's exterior freely.
This technique provides a way to maintain the functionality of a bubble elevator while making the vertical transport system less obtrusive in your builds.
