XBEVEL(6) Games Manual XBEVEL(6)

xbevel - Bevel X widgets

/usr/games/xbevel [-geometry [{width}][x{height}][{+-}{xoff}[{+-}{yoff}]]] [-display [{host}]:[{vs}]] [-[no]mono] [-[no]{reverse|rv}] [-{foreground|fg} {color}] [-{background|bg} {color}] [-{border|bd} {color}] [-face{0|1|2|3|4|5} {color}] [-frame {color}] [-delay msecs] [-[no]sound] [-moveSound {filename}] [-{font|fn} {fontname}] [-view {int}] [-[no]orient] [-[no]practice] [-userName {string}] [-scoreFile {filename}] [-scores] [-version]

The original puzzle looks like a 2x2x2 Rubik Cube with extra cuts like a Skewb with 24 inner pieces and 8 outer pieces. This was designed by Adam G. Cowan in 2005 and is more widely known as the Helicopter Cube. This Bevel puzzle has 7!*3^6*6!^4/2 or 4.94*10^17 different combinations. This program does not permit ~71 degree turns only 180 degree turns. If it did, it would have 7!*3^6*24!/4!^6 or 1.19*10^22 combinations.

Press "mouse-left" button to move a piece. Release "mouse-left" button on a piece on the same face. (Clicks on diamonds are ignored). The pieces will then turn towards where the mouse button was released.

Click "mouse-center", or press "P" or "p" keys to toggle the practice mode (in practice mode the record should say "practice"). This is good for learning moves and experimenting.

Click "mouse-right", or press "Z" or "z" keys, to randomize the puzzle (this must be done first to set a new record).

Press "G" or "g" keys to read (get) a saved puzzle.

Press "W" or "w" keys to save (write) a puzzle.

Press "U" or "u" keys to undo a move.

Press "R" or "r" keys to redo a move.

Press "C" or "c" keys to clear the puzzle.

"S" or "s" keys to start auto-solver currently only implemented when orient mode is off.

Press "O" or "o" keys to toggle the orient mode. One has to orient the faces in orient mode, besides getting all the faces to be the same color. This does add complexity so there are 2 sets of records.

Press "V" or "v" keys to change the view of the puzzle.

Press ">" or "." keys to speed up the movement of pieces (not implemented).

Press "<" or "," keys to slow down the movement of pieces (not implemented).

Press "@" key to toggle the sound.

Press "Esc" key to hide program.

Press "Q", "q", or "CTRL-C" keys to kill program.

Use the key pad or arrow keys to move without the mouse.
Key pad is defined for the Bevel2d as:
/ Counterclockwise

7 8 9 Upper Left, Up, Upper Right
^
4<5>6 Left, Clockwise, Right
v
1 2 3 Lower Left, Down, Lower Right

Key pad for other than Bevel2d, use must use your intuition (is this a cop out or what?). The key pad is defined differently depending on which side of the cube your mouse is pointing at. One thing that stays the same is "5" is Clockwise and "/" is Counterclockwise.

Use the control key and the left mouse button, keypad, or arrow keys to move the whole cube. Its also possible to rotate whole cube with an axis through a face with alt key is pressed (Tab key when using Windows). This is not recorded as a turn.

The title is in the following format (non-motif non-opengl version):

xbevel{2|3}d<dimension>: (<Number of moves>/{<Record number of moves> <user name>|"NEVER noaccess"|"practice"}) - <Comment>
If there is no record of the current puzzle, it displays "NEVER noaccess".

This option sets the initial position of the bevel window (resource name "geometry").
This option specifies the X server to contact.
-[no]mono
This option allows you to display the bevel window on a color screen as if it were monochrome (resource name "mono").
-[no]{reverse|rv}
This option allows you to see the bevel window in reverse video (resource name "reverseVideo").
-{foreground|fg} color
This option specifies the foreground of the bevel window (resource name "foreground").
-{background|bg} color
This option specifies the background of the bevel window (resource name "background").
-{border|bd} color
This option specifies the border color of the pieces in the bevel window (resource name "borderColor").
This option allows you to change the color of a face (resource name "faceColorN"). In mono-mode, color is represented as the first letter of the color name. On the 2-D version, the faces are ordered top to bottom and left to right on the "t" configuration. The "+-" configuration is physically consistent with the former, so it is ordered "0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 4". If you has two colors that begin with the same letter you should have one in uppercase and one in lowercase to distinguish them in mono-mode. You can change the colors of the faces to make a stupid cube (i.e. all White or in mono-mode all "W"). Unfortunately, it will not normally say its solved when its randomized. This would be cheating.
This option specifies the color of the frame (resource name "frameColor").
This option specifies the number of milliseconds it takes to move pieces (1-50) (resource name "delay").
-[no]sound
This option specifies if sliding pieces should make a sound or not (resource name "sound").
This option specifies the file for the move sound for the twisting of the puzzle (resource name "moveSound").
-{font|fn} ontname
This option specifies the font that will be used (resource name "font").
This option allows you to change the view of the cube for OpenGL with choice of 4 views (resource name "int").
-[no]orient
This option allows you to access the oriented mode (resource name "orient").
-[no]practice
This option allows you to access the practice mode (resource name "practice").
This option specifies the user name for any records made or else it will get your login name (resource name "userName").
Specify an alternative score file (resource name "scoreFile").
This option lists all the recorded scores and then exits.
This option tells you what version of xbevel you have.

You must randomize the puzzle before a record is set, otherwise an assumption of cheating is made if it is solved after a get or an auto-solve.

Here is the format for the xbevel configuration, starting position, and the movement of its pieces.

Bevel2d with default colors, not randomized:
0 R Red
1 2 3 Y B O Yellow, Blue, Orange
4 W White
5 G Green

orient: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true; if 1 then lines on pieces to be oriented>
practice: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true>
moves: 0-MAXINT <total number of moves>

startingPosition: <2 dimensional array of face and outer trianganular pieces and 4 inner triangular pieces, if orient mode then orientation number follows face number: 0 up, 1 right, 2 down, and 3 left>

This is then followed by the moves, starting from 1.

move #: <direction> <control> <face> <corner>
Each turn is with respect to a corner on a face.
The corners start at the upper right and work clockwise.
Direction is represented as 0 up, 1 right, 2 down, 3 left, 5 clockwise, 7 counterclockwise, 8 upper right, 9 lower right, 10 lower left, and 11 upper left.
Control is represented as 0 or 1, 1 if the whole cube is moved at once (here the corner does not matter), 0 if not. The xbevel record keeper does not count a control move as a move, but here we do.

Beyond Rubik's Cube: spheres, pyramids, dodecahedrons and God knows what else by Douglas R. Hofstadter, Scientific American, July 1982, pp 16-31.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter_Cube

X(1), xcubes(6), xtriangles(6), xhexagons(6), xmlink(6), xbarrel(6), xpanex(6), xmball(6), xpyraminx(6), xoct(6), xrubik(6), xskewb, xdino(6), xabacus(6)

® Copyright 2023-2024, David A. Bagley

Send bugs (or their reports, or fixes) to the author:

David A. Bagley, <bagleyd AT verizon.net>

The latest version is currently at:

https://www.sillycycle.com/puzzles.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/games/strategy/
15 Aug 2024 V8.8.4