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Optimal Solvers

loid

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Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
6
Hi!

I am making a demo video for the Nintendo DS game Rubik's World where I solve a 2x2x2, 3x3x3 and 4x4x4 cube "as fast as possible"

I have found a couple of tools for finding optimal solutions, but I was hoping someone here might have some suggestions as well. In particular for 4x4x4. Also, I am most interested in ones that use a "quarter turn" metric when calculating the optimal solution, though any suggestions are much appreciated.
 

qqwref

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Unfortunately there is no program which can calculate an optimal solution for the 4x4x4 in a reasonable amount of time (unless the position is less than about 12 moves from solved, which is very very unlikely). There is simply not enough computational power.
 

loid

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Mar 8, 2010
Messages
6
What's an unreasonable about of time? I'm willing to let it sit for days... :)
 

Feryll

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Dec 31, 2009
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Use CubeExplorer for the 3x3x3, and use just the corners to simulate a 2x2x2, and I heard of a software about solving the 4x4x4 quickly, but not optimally. It solves the individual steps to solving it optimally, but an optimal solution doesn't always solve it using those steps, so it is just a short, but not the shortest, solution.
 

Zarxrax

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Well, if one isn't interested in completely optimal solutions, I think it would certainly be possible to break it into steps, such as optimal solution for centers, then optimal solution for edges, then optimal solution for 3x3x3 step.
 

loid

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Mar 8, 2010
Messages
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Use CubeExplorer for the 3x3x3, and use just the corners to simulate a 2x2x2, and I heard of a software about solving the 4x4x4 quickly, but not optimally. It solves the individual steps to solving it optimally, but an optimal solution doesn't always solve it using those steps, so it is just a short, but not the shortest, solution.

I'm thinking this is the software you heard of: http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?p=308637

I also used the 4x4x4 solver in Rubix but it seemed to be less optimal. I am also planning to use Rubix for the 2x2x2 solution, and Cube Explorer and something called optiqtm for the 3x3x3 (optiqm uses the quarter turn metric and accepts Cube Explorer files as input).

Thanks for all the help folks! I'll post a link to my video when it is up.
 

Micael

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Do you just want to show a single "solve" with very few move in your video? If so, why not just doing an inverse scramble (like 30 moves)... Or may be I don't understand what you want to do?
 

loid

Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
6
It's a video game that gives you a random cube, so I wouldn't know how to reverse it (unless I could dig into the code, which is kind of outside the scope of my ability at this point).

Good idea though!
 
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