AnimCubeJS - an animated web cube

[bcube]

Hi,

allow me to let you know that there is a new version of AnimCubeJS, a Rubik's Cube simulator ideal for the web-based cubing tutorials or e.g. solving reconstructions.

The new version might be interesting for the developers/programmers as it consists of only 1 fully readable JavaScript file per cube size, without any additional libraries or packages.


I personally would love to see some web cube simulator being directly integrated into the speedsolving.com forum and speedsolving.com wiki in order to visually help the questioners. In my opinion, AnimCubeJS could be a good candidate for this because in comparison with some other simulators it is:

1) simply working on all devices and platforms I tried so far

2) very flexible and customizable

3) easy to integrate by admins (I guess) and easy to create an actual simulator by forum/wiki members (i.e. you)

 

[bcube]

Good news everyone! AnimCubeJS has been updated.

If you haven´t done it before, I encourage you to quickly scan through the simulator parameters. Don´t read parameter descriptions, experiment with example simulators instead to grasp the purpose of that parameter (read description only if you want to know more or you don´t understand example simulators in conjunction with the parameter name).

Anyway, what´s new?

• parameters hinthoriz, hintvert, hintborder - adjust hint stickers whatever you like it
• parameter movetextspace - improve readability of your algorithm
• align - arrange cube position vertically as you wish (new parameter values 3 - 99)
• Enhancement section has even more illustrative examples now, including the 2x2x2 Devil´s algorithm (inspired by Lucas)

Enjoy

 

[bcube]

Good news everyone! AnimCubeJS has been updated.

The counter parameter for displaying / hiding the move count has been added.

Did you know the simulator supports a total of 44 configurable parameters (including all 26 parameters from its predecessor AnimCube) as of now? What 3 parameters (or features) do you like the most and why?

 

[bcube]

What 3 parameters (or features) do you like the most and why?

No feedback at all?

Anyway, good news everyone! AnimCubeJS has been updated. This time the changes were made while having speedcubers, solve reconstructors and creators of wiki articles in mind. I hope someone will like them as much as I do

So what´s new?

• multiple scrambles & solutions can be animated using only 1 simulator - see the examples in the initmove or initrevmove parameter section
• to support a widely used notation among speedcubers (especially for the 4x4x4 - 6x6x6 cubes), the sign parameter has been added, so now you don´t need to know a corresponding AnimCubeJS notation which is using advanced modifiers. I believe you can´t go wrong with the sign=1 setting for all cube sizes.

Some ideas where the new features can be used:

• reconstructions of world records (average of 5, mean of 3, even multi-blindfolded solving)
• animation of popular algorithm sets such as PLL or CMLL (e.g. for world record holders)
• showing several algorithm variations of the same case in the wiki
• personal reconstructions (e.g. average of 12) in various example solve forum threads

You can use text comments during the animation, which could be benefical for both speedcubers/reconstructurs and creators of wiki articles.

• reconstructors: you could type a scrambling sequence at the beginning of the solve, and type the time and TPS information at the end of the solve
• speedcubers: you could make a comment like Xcross, F2L2, F2L3, F2L4 skip, OLLCP, H-perm during the solution
• creators of wiki articles: if you have a bunch of 4x4x4 parity algorithms, you could comment which ones are Supercube safe in the animation. Or you could display the Supercubes right away.

The possibilities are endless...


Happy reconstructing

 

[bcube]

Good news, everyone! AnimCubeJS has been updated.

What´s new?

• graphics of inner parts for the 4x4x4 - 6x6x6 cubes has been enhanced
• settings for mobile devices have been modified (and simplified) to ensure even more mobile friendliness and to improve a user experience
• new link was added to the parameters section: now you can create your own simulator (click on the Help button to see instructions)

Since you don´t need to download the program to create simulators, now you have no excuse for not making one


Happy creating

 

[bcube]

Did you know:

• the history of the simulator goes back to 1995, the same year in which Java language was released?
• the Gloomy Cube Java applet has been published by Josef Jelínek 3 years before his AnimCube applet?
• Gilles Roux and Ryan Heise were involved in the AnimCube applet development? Lars Petrus was an inspiration with his own 2 applets.
• you can still play with 6 AnimCubeJS Java "predecessors" in 2023? Prerequisites: Java being installed on your computer, IE11, Edge or Chrome with IE Tab extension (these are known to be working)
• Ryan Heise made his AnimCube JavaScript version back in 2012, 3 years before Michael Feather had the same idea?

AnimCubeJS evolution (click on the pulldown to see pictures and more information).

 

[bcube]

you can still play with 6 AnimCubeJS Java "predecessors" in 2023? Prerequisites: Java being installed on your computer, IE11, Edge or Chrome with IE Tab extension (these are known to be working)

I am happy to see Michael Feather proved me wrong regarding prerequisites, they are not needed anymore. You can play with all 6 AnimCubeJS Java predecessors using modern web browser and/or mobile device.

 

[ProStar]

This looks cool. May I ask what makes it better than alg.cubing.net, and now Twizzle? (Ignoring that twizzle has speedsolving.con support)

 

[bcube]

(Ignoring that twizzle has speedsolving.con support)

As a matter of fact, AnimCubeJS is known to be working on forum platforms like discuz or XenForo no problem (speedsolving.com forum is running on XenForo).

May I ask what makes it better than alg.cubing.net, and now Twizzle?

Since developers, webmasters, solve reconstructors, or cubers in general might have different expectations and requirements on a simulator (and each of them might have different preferences too), the best answer I can give you is to read the tool´s documentation and decide what fits your needs better. For more specific answer feel free to ask more specifically - what is your use case, what is your desired functionality.

As mentioned in this post I am not fully aware of the alg.cubing.net and Twizzle functionality (partly because I didn´t have to use these tools at all). My personal comparison for performance and user experience are here and here. While I am aware of webmasters converting from alg.cubing.net type of simulator to AnimCubeJS because of simulator unusability, Lucas might know about webmasters converting from AnimCubeJS to Twizzle (I would be very interested to know the reason in such a case).

 

[bcube]

Good news, everyone! AnimCubeJS has been updated.

Now available at speedsolving.com thanks to the moderation team. You can embed the simulator to your post using the following syntax:

[cube=X]parameter_name1=value1&parameter_name2=value2...[/cube]

where X is a substitution for a cube size (i.e. 2 for a 2x2x2, 7 for a 7x7x7 etc.), and parameter names and values can be found in the AnimCubeJS documentation. X can be omitted for a 3x3x3, so you can use [cube]...[/cube] syntax instead of [cube=3]...[/cube] syntax.

Default cube will look like this:

[cube][/cube]

and it has the following configuration settings set by the moderation team. The best part? You can override any of these settings because your settings are priorized over those preconfigured ones. Pretty cool to have stronger rights than the moderation team, huh?

Below are presented some examples where the simulator could be helpful.

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Reconstructions and forum competitions​

A forum member asks: "Hi, can I see a reconstruction of the 2x2x2 average world record?" Instead of embedding 5 simulators, you can embed only 1.

[cube=2]metric=2&bgcolor=E0E0E0&initmove=U' R' U' F' R U' R2 U' F' U' R;R' F U' R U R' F' U2 R' U' R;F2 U R U' R U' R' U' R' U' F';R' F U2 R2 U R' U2 F U' R2 U2;U2 R2 U' R' U2 R' U' F2 U' R U&move={Scramble: U' R' U' F' R U' R2 U' F' U' R}y{0.91 s, 9.89 TPS, method: LS} F U R U' R' F R' F' R2;{Scramble: R' F U' R U R' F' U2 R' U' R}x{0.97 s, 11.34 TPS, method: TCLL} y R' U2 R' U R U' R' U R U' R';{Scramble: F2 U R U' R U' R' U' R' U' F'}x'{(0.71 s), 8.45 TPS, method: n/a} U R' U2 R U R2;{Scramble: R' F U2 R2 U R' U2 F U' R2 U2}y{1.16 s, 11.21 TPS, method: n/a} F' R2 F R U R U R' F' R U R' U';{Scramble: U2 R2 U' R' U2 R' U' F2 U' R U}U2{(2.91 s), 3.78 TPS, method: n/a} R U2 R' F R F' R' F R U[/cube]

As for the forum weekly competitions, @Mike Hughey could embed simulators to his original post (using 1 simulator for multiple scrambles) to ensure that competitors scrambled their cubes properly, thus preventing misscrambles. Scrambles for a 5x5x5 below are taken from this competition.

[cube=5]move=R2 Dw2 R' Bw Lw R2 Fw2 Dw Rw' Lw' Bw' F2 L' Lw Uw2 Lw F U' Bw2 Uw2 Dw' Lw2 U Uw' D' Rw2 Uw' Lw2 Dw2 D' Rw' F2 Rw2 Dw B' Lw2 Bw B' F2 Lw2 L Bw Uw' Lw R D2 Fw' B Bw Lw2 L' F' Dw D L2 Fw' Rw Dw Rw' Uw2;L R' Rw F' R' Lw U2 Bw' Rw B' D2 U2 Bw' Fw U' D' F R F Bw Fw2 Uw' F Fw' R2 B' F' Uw' Bw2 Lw' U2 Rw2 Dw' R2 U2 F B' Lw2 Dw D F Fw2 Rw2 R' U Rw L U2 B Bw' Uw' Dw2 Bw R Lw2 Fw' F' B Uw' Bw2;R2 U2 D Uw2 Rw' F' U' Uw B2 Rw' B' Fw' Lw Fw Rw2 Lw Fw2 L' Dw2 Uw F' Bw Fw' R' F2 Bw2 U2 Dw' F Bw2 Fw R' U Uw' Lw2 Rw L2 U2 Dw2 Uw' B' Bw L2 B F Uw R2 Bw2 Fw F2 Uw' D Dw Lw' Uw2 L' D L B D';U2 L' Uw Fw2 R Rw Dw2 L' B U2 F2 U2 Fw2 B F2 Dw2 B F Rw Bw B' F Lw R' L' U Fw U D' Bw2 D' L Rw2 F2 U' Uw2 B D' U' F' Lw' R U' F Dw' Rw2 F' Lw' Fw2 Dw' Uw' Fw2 Dw R Fw2 B2 L B Fw Rw';Lw' L F' D2 Dw F2 R2 Rw B Dw' F' Uw F2 U' L' Fw Dw Uw' B' F2 Rw2 L2 B2 Bw Lw' Dw R Bw Rw Dw Bw L Fw' Uw' R2 Bw' B Fw L B2 D2 Dw' Uw2 L2 Rw' Dw' Uw F2 Fw2 Uw R B2 D2 B2 Fw2 Uw Fw Uw D Lw2[/cube]

You prefer SiGN over the WCA notation in your scrambling? No problem.

[cube=5]movetext=5&move=R2 Dw2 R' Bw Lw R2 Fw2 Dw Rw' Lw' Bw' F2 L' Lw Uw2 Lw F U' Bw2 Uw2 Dw' Lw2 U Uw' D' Rw2 Uw' Lw2 Dw2 D' Rw' F2 Rw2 Dw B' Lw2 Bw B' F2 Lw2 L Bw Uw' Lw R D2 Fw' B Bw Lw2 L' F' Dw D L2 Fw' Rw Dw Rw' Uw2;L R' Rw F' R' Lw U2 Bw' Rw B' D2 U2 Bw' Fw U' D' F R F Bw Fw2 Uw' F Fw' R2 B' F' Uw' Bw2 Lw' U2 Rw2 Dw' R2 U2 F B' Lw2 Dw D F Fw2 Rw2 R' U Rw L U2 B Bw' Uw' Dw2 Bw R Lw2 Fw' F' B Uw' Bw2;R2 U2 D Uw2 Rw' F' U' Uw B2 Rw' B' Fw' Lw Fw Rw2 Lw Fw2 L' Dw2 Uw F' Bw Fw' R' F2 Bw2 U2 Dw' F Bw2 Fw R' U Uw' Lw2 Rw L2 U2 Dw2 Uw' B' Bw L2 B F Uw R2 Bw2 Fw F2 Uw' D Dw Lw' Uw2 L' D L B D';U2 L' Uw Fw2 R Rw Dw2 L' B U2 F2 U2 Fw2 B F2 Dw2 B F Rw Bw B' F Lw R' L' U Fw U D' Bw2 D' L Rw2 F2 U' Uw2 B D' U' F' Lw' R U' F Dw' Rw2 F' Lw' Fw2 Dw' Uw' Fw2 Dw R Fw2 B2 L B Fw Rw';Lw' L F' D2 Dw F2 R2 Rw B Dw' F' Uw F2 U' L' Fw Dw Uw' B' F2 Rw2 L2 B2 Bw Lw' Dw R Bw Rw Dw Bw L Fw' Uw' R2 Bw' B Fw L B2 D2 Dw' Uw2 L2 Rw' Dw' Uw F2 Fw2 Uw R B2 D2 B2 Fw2 Uw Fw Uw D Lw2[/cube]

You want to see only the scrambled state in 1 look while showing all faces, and don´t need animations / full button bar (may be preferred by competitors in a Fewest moves and/or Match the scramble event)? No problem.

[cube=5]scale=6&hint=12&hinthoriz=3&hintvert=3.5&hintborder=1&align=30&position=lluuu&movetext=0&counter=0&buttonbar=2&initmove=#&move=R2 Dw2 R' Bw Lw R2 Fw2 Dw Rw' Lw' Bw' F2 L' Lw Uw2 Lw F U' Bw2 Uw2 Dw' Lw2 U Uw' D' Rw2 Uw' Lw2 Dw2 D' Rw' F2 Rw2 Dw B' Lw2 Bw B' F2 Lw2 L Bw Uw' Lw R D2 Fw' B Bw Lw2 L' F' Dw D L2 Fw' Rw Dw Rw' Uw2;L R' Rw F' R' Lw U2 Bw' Rw B' D2 U2 Bw' Fw U' D' F R F Bw Fw2 Uw' F Fw' R2 B' F' Uw' Bw2 Lw' U2 Rw2 Dw' R2 U2 F B' Lw2 Dw D F Fw2 Rw2 R' U Rw L U2 B Bw' Uw' Dw2 Bw R Lw2 Fw' F' B Uw' Bw2;R2 U2 D Uw2 Rw' F' U' Uw B2 Rw' B' Fw' Lw Fw Rw2 Lw Fw2 L' Dw2 Uw F' Bw Fw' R' F2 Bw2 U2 Dw' F Bw2 Fw R' U Uw' Lw2 Rw L2 U2 Dw2 Uw' B' Bw L2 B F Uw R2 Bw2 Fw F2 Uw' D Dw Lw' Uw2 L' D L B D';U2 L' Uw Fw2 R Rw Dw2 L' B U2 F2 U2 Fw2 B F2 Dw2 B F Rw Bw B' F Lw R' L' U Fw U D' Bw2 D' L Rw2 F2 U' Uw2 B D' U' F' Lw' R U' F Dw' Rw2 F' Lw' Fw2 Dw' Uw' Fw2 Dw R Fw2 B2 L B Fw Rw';Lw' L F' D2 Dw F2 R2 Rw B Dw' F' Uw F2 U' L' Fw Dw Uw' B' F2 Rw2 L2 B2 Bw Lw' Dw R Bw Rw Dw Bw L Fw' Uw' R2 Bw' B Fw L B2 D2 Dw' Uw2 L2 Rw' Dw' Uw F2 Fw2 Uw R B2 D2 B2 Fw2 Uw Fw Uw D Lw2[/cube]

Customizing possibilities are endless and everyone can make a simulator to his/her liking.

---

Visualizing what´s happening​

A forum member asks: "Hi, somewhere on the internet I found this algorithm: R L U2 R' L' U R L U2 R' L' U but it does nothing on my Rubik´s Cube. What´s happening?" You can create a Supercube simulator to explain it.

[cube=3]supercube=1&move=R L U2 R' L' U R L U2 R' L' U[/cube]

You want a proof for these algorithms? Here you go:

[cube=4]supercube=1&scw=1&move=2R' U' 2U 2R U' 2R U 2R 2U' 2R' 2U 2R U 2R U' 2R u' 2R' U2;2R' u' 2R U' 2R U 2R 2U 2R' 2U' 2R U 2R U' 2R 2U U' 2R' U2;2R' U2 2R' U' 2R U 2R U 2R' D' 2F2 2R 2F2 2R' D U2 2R' U 2R U 2R U 2R;r2 U2 2R' U2 2R' U' 2L 2R 2U2 2L' 2R' U 2L 2R 2U2 x U2 2L' U2 2R U2 2R' U2 r2 x';2R2 U 2R2 U2 2R2 U2 2R' U 2R' U 2R' U2 2R2 U2 2R2 U' 2R U' 2R U2 2R U2 2R U2 2R U' 2R U2 2R2;r' U' U' 2R2 U r 2R2 2U 2R2 2U' U' 2R' U r' U' 2R2 U r 2R2 2U 2R2 2U' U' 2R' U r' U' 2R2 U r 2R2 2U 2R2 2U' U' 2R' U r' U r[/cube]

As an alternative to static images (in which cubes are non-rotable and layers are non-twistable), you can share an algorithm with your audience using AnimCubeJS to visualize better what´s happening.

Future potential usage: speedsolving.com wiki. I am looking at you @Christopher Mowla and other wiki contributors. It was really painful for me to read how Christopher was experiencing troubles throughout the years with simulators / links in wiki when something changed. With AnimCubeJS the philosophy is: set up once, work forever.

---

Helping people with solving​

A forum member asks: "Hi, I am new to cubing. I don´t know the cube notation yet. My sister gave me this sandwich-like cube for my birthday"

[cube=3]edit=0&buttonbar=0&facelets=rrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyrbyrbyrbyrbyrbyrbyrrrbbbyyyrbyrbyrby[/cube]

"I solved it this far"

[cube=3]randmoves=2&initrevmove=random&facelets=rrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyrbyrbyrbyrbyrbyrbyrrrbbbyyyrbyrbyrby[/cube]

"Can you show me how to finish it?"

Now it´s your turn, post your simulator below! The simplest way is probably using the facelets and move parameters, but you could also use the initmove or initrevmove parameters. The cube is solvable in 2 moves (there is a chance it will be already solved - if so, just refresh the page) and I made it in a way that page refresh is generating a new scramble, meaning each of you can help the questioner because each of you will see a different scramble. If you accidentaly scramble the cube while solving it, press the button to get it back to its original state.

---

Although not its primary purpose, AnimCubeJS can also serve as a customizable image generator. Based on these requests and these images it could be useful to documentarists like @Athefre, check out the configuration tool and the Enhancement section for additional features requested by users. For creating & sharing a simulator with the world, use the customizing tool. More examples / challenges can be found at youcube.app. If you haven´t done it already, check out also Twizzle.

Play with AnimCubeJS at speedsolving.com:
Can we solve Supercube together?
Can we solve Void Cube together?
How many scrambling moves can you unscramble?
Can we solve Rubik's Domino together?
Intuitive Example Solve Thread

Happy animating



(oh yeah, that 7x7x7 is a simulator, not a picture)

 

[OreKehStrah]

This looks fantastic! Great work

 

[Christopher Mowla]

Is there an option for old WCA notation, where lowercase letters = inner slices? That's what I really need. (Would literally half the code on the 4x4x4 parity algorithms wiki page.) That's my biggest problem with Lucas' simulator. He forced everyone to use SiGN, when before it was optional with alg.garron.us.

If it doesn't exist yet, and it can be done, if it's a parameter just for the 4x4x4, that would be sufficient. (No need of mine to do that for the 5x5x5, but it would be nice, if I ever decide to make a page on the last 2 tredges... so this new feature for the 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 at most, but 4x4x4 would be enough. And this would be just for the normal and supercube variants. No need... at least from me... to do it to any other variations.)

Also, can you give me an example code line to use to navigate to an external link from the wiki? (There's no space for embedded animation for every alg on that page!)

But it would also be good to get an example embed line of code for other wiki pages (where they show example solves).

 

[bcube]

Is there an option for old WCA notation, where lowercase letters = inner slices?

Currently there is no such option, and there is no plan to add it in the future for these 2 main reasons: the code gets kind of bloated with each notation added (there are already 3 supported notations for cube sizes other than 3x3x3), and old WCA notation is not actively used much anymore I would say.

He forced everyone to use SiGN

As I see it, there are good reasons for that . Especially for bigger (3x3x3+) cube sizes.

If it doesn't exist yet, and it can be done, if it's a parameter just for the 4x4x4, that would be sufficient. (No need of mine to do that for the 5x5x5, but it would be nice, if I ever decide to make a page on the last 2 tredges... so this new feature for the 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 at most, but 4x4x4 would be enough. And this would be just for the normal and supercube variants. No need... at least from me... to do it to any other variations.)

AnimCubeJS is an open-source project. I managed to modify the 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 unminified JS programs to meet your needs by replacing 1 line of code . But I am not a programmer and I suspect I broke a lot of other stuff by that change, so I will not publish the modified code. But yes, it can be done for sure, and the change is quite easy if you need it only for 1 specific reason. I modified a turnSymbol array (// "standard" notation to be specific) but feel free to modify the unminified code to match your needs. If you don´t want to modify the programs, feel free to file an issue on github where other programmers could help more.

I am not exactly sure what do you mean by variations in "normal and supercube variants ... No need to do it to any other variations."

Also, can you give me an example code line to use to navigate to an external link from the wiki?

For creating & sharing a simulator with the world, use the customizing tool.

Declare (e.g. copy/paste from the configuration tool) parameters, Apply them, then the URL link is being generated.

(There's no space for embedded animation for every alg on that page!) But it would also be good to get an example embed line of code for other wiki pages (where they show example solves).

I am sorry, I don´t follow. But hopefully everything will work fine with the customizing tool.

 

[Christopher Mowla]

I don't plan on modifying the code myself. So if I use this, I would like to use it for supercube safe algorithms.

But I cannot use it for the majority of algorithms, because of the template. All of the code in the template is a certain number of bytes (of course, right?). But every time that the wiki page calls the template, it loads in ALL of the code in the template. (It calls the template for every "algorithm bar" you see.)

I'm already at 80% loading capacity.


So if I go from a URL of this length:

https://alpha.twizzle.net/edit/?puzzle=4x4x4&setup-anchor=end&alg=

To one of this length (this is the desired parameters I chose for a normal 4x4x4 cube):

https://animcubejs.cubing.net/sources/codes/enhancement/parameters/cube4.html?butbgcolor=808080&buttonbar=1&hint=5&hintborder=1&sign=1&metric=2&colorscheme=wy2301&move=

That's a significant amount of additional code (bytes) that will need to be loaded in. And if I surpass the allowed loading capacity, then "algorithm bars" towards the end of the page will start to not load.

If there is a way to incorporate animcubejs into the wiki so that the URL doesn't have to be so long, then maybe I would find it feasible to use it over Twizzle for all algorithms. But otherwise, it's not an option! (I recently also wanted to make the "algorithm bars" look a little more rounded, but the extra code caused the "include size" to surpass capacity!)

Recently I was thinking about switching it to https://cubedb.net/?puzzle=4 , because that looks a lot nicer, due to me making a dark theme (that I bet you noticed!). And it requires roughly the same number of characters in the template as Twizzle , so it's feasible. But I haven't done it because I have heard rumors that that site has been taken down (on purpose... out of retaliation) at least once in the past.

Furthermore, Twizzle counts moves the same way that I do. (The half turn, quarter turn, and slice turn metrics of animcubejs do not.)

So, although it looks like a nice applet, if it would be the only reason that I would have to break the wiki page into 2 pages, it wouldn't be worth it. If it at least had Old WCA notation as an option, then I would consider it. (And I would just forget about it displaying the proper move count for the algorithms.) But if it's SiGN, then I see no reason why I shouldn't just switch to cubedb.net if I want a change... or just stick with Twizzle.

 

[bcube]

If there is a way to incorporate animcubejs into the wiki so that the URL doesn't have to be so long

I can´t help you with wiki "issues". What I can do is uploading the customizing tool to shorter URL (like https://bcube2.github.io/wiki/create.html), however, I am not sure I want to do that. Also, the butbgcolor=808080&buttonbar=1&hintborder=1 settings are redundant for your use case in my opinion.

Furthermore, Twizzle counts moves the same way that I do. (The half turn, quarter turn, and slice turn metrics of animcubejs do not.)

Indeed, I must admit I lost myself in all those new (for me) metrics Twizzle is using. However, all 4 AnimCubeJS metrics are matching the metrics of https://alg.cubing.net/ in terms of move count, if I am not mistaken. Changing ACJS metric´s move count is possible, could you tell me what´s wrong with it? If you don´t want to display move counter, you can hide it using the counter parameter (but I assume you want to display it).

 

[Christopher Mowla]

Changing ACJS metric´s move count is possible, could you tell me what´s wrong with it?

The move count display should match what I have for the algorithms on the wiki page. (Block half turn, block quarter turn.)

It looks like the metric used is the full turn move (ftm) / plain half turn metric/ outer block turn (OBTM), which is a little too strict for big cubes.

I mean, that metric is used for big cube scrambles at the WCA, but scrambles only consist of wide turns and face turns.

All in all, if the url isn't as short (or shorter) than Twizzle, I can't use it, even if I want to. (That's the point.)

 

[bcube]

Uff, thinking in several notations and several metrics makes my brain hurt.

Imagine how hard it would be for a beginner to enter your wiki page and seeing a "dead notation". To decipher it, he could read this post, but that would lead him to even bigger confusion - how are r, Rw, 2r and 2R related?

I thought the stubborn cmowla has been broken. Even thought AnimCubeJS can support the old WCA notation for a 4x4x4 (at least I think so), would you consider to unify the notations (by using SiGN as the most general notation) rather than taking it apart to several notations (by using old WCA notation)? I can´t see a benefit for a beginner to see algorithms written in an old notation which can be hardly found anywhere else.

Interpretation differences between m and M for a 5x5x5 is another story... Edit: oh, I see there is a difference between written M (in wiki page) and animated m (in a simulator) even for a 4x4x4 (currently M and m moves are being animated differently for Twizzle and cubedb.net for a 4x4x4/5x5x5).

 

[Christopher Mowla]

I made a new template called Super4.

Now the supercube safe algorithms in this section (and this section only for the time being) on the 4x4x4 parity algorithms wiki page will be animated with AnimCubeJS's Gabbasoft 4x4x4 simulator.

I noticed that I had to:

• Manually expand algorithms with repeated move groups.
• Remove any comments.

(Just an FYI for anyone wishing to change links for some supercube safe algorithms to AnimCubeJS using this new template in the future.)

________________________
And another FYI for others, below are 4 different kinds of animation links that I personally find have desirable chosen parameters.

Regular cube to view alg you type (in SiGN, where Rw WCA moves are recognized)

https://animcubejs.cubing.net/sources/codes/enhancement/parameters/cube4.html?edit=0&hint=5&colorscheme=wy2301&repeat=0&speed=25&sign=1&wca=1&metric=3&move=

Regular cube to play with (scramble alg provided)

https://animcubejs.cubing.net/sources/codes/enhancement/parameters/cube4.html?scramble=1&snap=1&hint=5&colorscheme=wy2301&repeat=0&speed=25&sign=1&wca=1&metric=3

Supercube to view alg you type (in SiGN, where Rw WCA moves are recognized)

https://animcubejs.cubing.net/sources/codes/enhancement/parameters/cube4.html?edit=0&colorscheme=kyg301&repeat=0&speed=25&sign=1&wca=1&metric=3&supercube=1&scw=1&move=

Supercube to play with (scramble alg provided)

https://animcubejs.cubing.net/sources/codes/enhancement/parameters/cube4.html?scramble=1&snap=1&colorscheme=kyg301&repeat=0&speed=25&sign=1&wca=1&metric=3&supercube=1&scw=1

Imagine how hard it would be for a beginner to enter your wiki page and seeing a "dead notation".

The notation is very much alive. It's apparently only dead to web-developers!

I thought the stubborn cmowla has been broken.

I changed my mind. (For the wikipage in question, at least.)

SiGN notation on the 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 is overkill, to be honest. The only benefit it has for the 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 is to express algorithms containing only WIDE turns more compactly. But the majority of the algorithms on that page contain mostly inner slice turns.

SiGN is definitely good for the 6x6x6 and larger cubes, but so is my extension of Old WCA.

For the 7x7x7 cube,
( "My extension" of Old WCA | SiGN )
(1r = r | 2R )
(2r | 3R )
(3Rw | 3r ... Already implemented at Twizzle.)
(M | m )
(m | M )
(3m | 3-5r )
(1-2r | 2-3r ) ... The two notations almost coincide here.

I shared this Old WCA extension suggestion with Lucas Garron, but of course he chose SiGN because he was an independent inventor of that notation. But it's his website, so I can't argue about it. I'm just surprised, because he supported both notations at alg.garron.us. But he later disabled Old WCA support at alg.garron.us when he made alg.cubing.net. (That action destroyed a lot of forum posts in the past.)

Even thought AnimCubeJS can support the old WCA notation for a 4x4x4 (at least I think so)

It only supports Rw type moves (wide turns). Twizzle does the same. (And both simulators support nRw moves too, of course.)

, would you consider to unify the notations (by using SiGN as the most general notation) rather than taking it apart to several notations (by using old WCA notation)? I can´t see a benefit for a beginner to see algorithms written in an old notation which can be hardly found anywhere else.

Most beginners I have seen on Reddit (even to this day) only know of Old WCA notation. (None of them "speak in SiGN".)

And there are some guide makers that are omitting letter notation althougher. (Just use symbolic notation, similar to what I use in my 3x3x3 solution (first layer repetition), my case-by-case first layer 3x3x3 solution, my 3x3x3 beginner (Niklas) commutator solving guide, and my 3x3x3 Reduction method solution.) But very popular sites like this still use Old WCA, even though algorithms cannot be animated!

And if I were a betting man, if there was an applet which supported it, you would be seeing it much more often. Beginner guides don't want to intimidate their audience with 2R when r is sufficient. (Rr) will always be more clear to me personally than Rw. (If it needs to be explained, it's not ideal for beginners.)

2r (which is in SiGN) makes more sense than r for turning the right half of the 4x4x4. But yet, 2r is NOT typically used by SiGN enthusiasts when expressing 4x4x4 algorithms in SiGN notation. Just r.

To me, r = 1r = R, not Rw.

And to be honest, I haven't seen one good argument of how SiGN is better than Old WCA for the 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 except that r is "shorter to write" than Rw... but they are letting a very small subset of 4x4x4 algorithms determine the way the majority are expressed. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

Interpretation differences between m and M for a 5x5x5 is another story... Edit: oh, I see there is a difference between written M (in wiki page) and animated m (in a simulator) even for a 4x4x4.

Old WCA used capital letters to represent turning of the M, E, S slices/layers of the 4x4x4. So I kept it that way.

Lucas originally used capital letters for SiGN but then later made them lowercase (which broke every link I made to match his SiGN simulator before... wasn't happy about that). That's the "headache" I have had with his simulators in the past (which I thought you were aware of).

(But of course, the other headache is no Old WCA support... or should I say, inner slice support for WCA.)

 

[bcube]

I noticed that I had to:

• Manually expand algorithms with repeated move groups.
• Remove any comments.

Correct, the ACJS documentation doesn´t say anything about move groups. As for comments, please look up the brace characters {} in the move parameter section to see if they meet your needs.

And another FYI for others, below are 4 different kinds of animation links that I personally find have desirable chosen parameters.

Feel free to create any simulator you like. In the examples you provided, there are some redundant settings, such as scw=1 when colorscheme=kyg301 (there are no white stickers, the scw=1 setting is redundant). Displaying the full buttonbar when there is no move sequence to be played doesn´t make much sense to me. The wca and sign parameters are mutually exclusive. Undocumented wca parameter feature is that it might suit well for cases where notations are being mixed (such as in this forum). I would be happy to clarify the functionality of parameters if needed, but as long as you are happy with created simulators, I guess no one cares about redundant/misusing settings at all .

(3Rw | 3r ... Already implemented at Twizzle.)

As well as in AnimCubeJS. In the move parameter section, please click at the "Show move character sets for cube sizes other than 3x3x3" dropdown button to see all supported types of moves (fun fact: if you never heard about the a and s modifiers, they are actually coming from the Singmaster notation).

I shared this Old WCA extension suggestion with Lucas Garron, but of course he chose SiGN because he was an independent inventor of that notation.

As I understand it, if you allow moves like d or f for a 3x3x3, there are already symbol meaning collisions for a 4x4x4 if you want to:
a) keep the same logic as for a 3x3x3
b) support inner layer moves with those symbols/letters

I think Lucas (and me too) is trying to cover generally all cube sizes with same rules, rather than typing different set of rules for each cube size.

Even thought AnimCubeJS can support the old WCA notation for a 4x4x4 (at least I think so)

It only supports Rw type moves (wide turns).

Sorry for my bad articulation. I meant I think modified ACJS program could support the old WCA notation (but it would require to cover the symbol meaning collisions I talked about above).

I haven't seen one good argument of how SiGN is better than Old WCA for the 4x4x4 and 5x5x5

To me, SiGN a logical successor (for a 3x3x3+) to the generally accepted/standardized Singmaster notation (for a 3x3x3). To me, r is already defined for a 3x3x3, and re-defining it for a 4x4x4 in a way that it means inner layer move is not logical,

But of course, the other headache is no Old WCA support... or should I say, inner slice support for WCA.

You can try to bring it back by the WCA and argument with a support of Reddit cubers.

 

[Christopher Mowla]

As for comments, please look up the brace characters {} in the move parameter section to see if they meet your needs.

It appears that the comments show up on the top-left of the animation window after the algorithm has finished being executed.

https://animcubejs.cubing.net/sources/codes/enhancement/parameters/cube7.html?edit=0&hint=5&colorscheme=wy2301&repeat=0&speed=25&sign=1&metric=3&move=R{why do I appear now and not before?}

If the comments are not intertwined with the algorithm itself, it's better not to use them.

So "comments" in AnimCubeJS doesn't mean "comments" like the way I know from other simulators. They are more like Twizzle's &title= parameter.

In the examples you provided, there are some redundant settings, such as scw=1 when colorscheme=kyg301 (there are no white stickers, the scw=1 setting is redundant). [...]

I will remove that parameter as well as &wca. In the process of making the links, scw wasn't redundant, but then after I changed the color scheme, I guess it did become redundant! (Thanks!)

As well as in AnimCubeJS. In the move parameter section, please click at the "Show move character sets for cube sizes other than 3x3x3" dropdown button to see all supported types of moves (fun fact: if you never heard about the a and s modifiers, they are actually coming from the Singmaster notation).

And am I wrong in that it doesn't support contiguous inner layer block turns of any kind?
2-3r (I had to type it in as 2R 3R instead.)
m (I had to type in L' R x' instead.)

To me, r is already defined for a 3x3x3, and re-defining it for a 4x4x4 in a way that it means inner layer move is not logical,

Sabotaging the nxnxn because of how a notation occurs on one cube size (the 3x3x3) seems illogical to me.

I have seen plenty of people express (R M') on a 3x3x3 as Rw.

You can try to bring it back by the WCA and argument with a support of Reddit cubers.

My opionion has always carried little weight the cubing community. (Not going to waste my time, especially that the majority of people do not express their move solutions in notation, most only distribute wide turn parity algorithms on a day-to-day basis, etc.)