Tutorials/Falling blocks

FallingSand is a type of block that initially spawns as an entity, like regular sand or gravel with physics applied (block broken underneath). It has various applications, ranging from simple displays of falling objects to advanced command block creations.

Commands
The most basic FallingSand command can be applied by typing the following into a command block:

This command summons in a FallingSand entity in the same (x,y,z) coordinates as the command block - marked by (~ ~ ~). Also, it is a stone block, as a stone block has a tile ID number of 1. Alternatively BlockID can be used instead of TileID. Despite changes from numeric IDs to letter IDs in Minecraft 1.8, the tile IDs remain in numeric form. To spawn the block in another location, add numbers after the tildes (~5,~10~-3) ect.

Extra data can be inserted in the NBT tags to modify the how long in seconds the block remains in the air. This NBT tag is Time. Time stands for the time (in ticks) for how long the FallingSand has existed. If 0, the entity despawns, if 1 or greater, will continue ticking up, until it reaches a maximum lifetime. Adding a value of time for the block will cause the block to assume a physical form when coming in contact with the ground, just like a normal sand block falling downwards. Ensure that the different data values are separated by commas:

If the FallingSand block spawns at the same exact coordinates as another block (spawn inside a block), then it will become a drop. To prevent the FallingSand from becoming a drop after spawning inside the block, enter this command instead:

FallingSand does not necessarily need to fall. For an explosion-like feel, or even a simple bounce, FallingSand's motion path can be altered. Note the use of square brackets for the motion tag:

The maximum lifetime cannot realistically be reached from  unless the FallingSand is riding another entity (in which case it isn't falling, but its time is still ticking) or is high above the world.