XPYRAMINX(6)XPYRAMINX(6)NAMExpyraminx - Pyramid X widget
SYNOPSIS
/usr/games/xpyraminx [-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} {color}] [-{size {int} | sticky}] [-{mode {int} |
both}] [-[no]orient] [-[no]practice] [-username {string}]
DESCRIPTION
The original puzzle has 9 triangles per face (size = 3) and has period
3 turning (i.e. the face or points turn in 120 degree intervals). The
puzzle was designed by Uwe Meffert and called the Pyraminx. This has
2^5*3^8*6!/2 or 75,582,720 different comibinations.
Another puzzle Senior Pyraminx 3x3x3 exists only on paper, it has
period 2 turning (i.e. edges turn with 180 degree intervals) but the
corners would fall off unless it had some tricky mechanism. (This may
be the same as the Master Pyraminx which has 446,965,972,992,000 dif‐
ferent combinations).
Another puzzle (which was not widely distributed), the Junior Pyraminx
(and similarly the Junior Pyraminx Star, a octahedron formed by two
tetrahedra, this has 7!*3^6 or 3,674,160 different combinations), has 4
triangles (size = 2) per face and at the time I designed this computer
puzzle thought that it had only period 2 turning (i.e the edges
rotate). It turns out the puzzle has a period 4 turning (edges turn
with 90 degree intervals) which makes it analogous to the 2x2x2 Rubik's
cube. This puzzle makes various non-tetrahedral shapes. The puzzle
contained here has no period 4 turning flexability.
One is able to simulate Halpern's Tetrahedron or Pyraminx Tetrahedron
(period 3 turning and sticky mode). Also one is able to simulate one
with variant turning (period 2 turning and sticky mode).
FEATURES
Press "mouse-left" button to move a piece. Release "mouse-left" button
on a piece on the same face and in the same row (but not an adjacent
piece or the move is ambiguous). 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"). One must
double click on "mouse-center" if the puzzle is being worked on. This
is good for learning moves and experimenting.
Click "mouse-right", or press "R" or "r" keys to randomize (this must
be done first to set a new record). One must double click on "mouse-
right" if the puzzle is being worked on.
Press "I" or "i" keys to increase the number of "tetras".
Press "D" or "d" keys to decrease the number of "tetras".
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. To do this one has to get the lines to be oriented in the same
direction, this only matters with center "tetras", if at all (i.e.
those "tetras" not on a corner or edge). This does add complexity so
there are 2 sets of records.
Press "2", "3", "B", or "b" keys (not the keypad 2, 3) to change modes
to Period 2, Period 3, or Both.
Press "Y" or "y" to toggle sticky mode (increase/decrease is disabled
here if sticky mode is on).
"Sticky" and "Period 2" turning allows only the edges to turn, and the
2 center rows turn together. It is as if the middle cut of the three
cuts did not exist.
"Sticky" and "Period 3" turning allows only the faces to turn, it is as
if the middle cut of the three cuts did not exist.
Beware, the "Sticky" mode is a hack and much could be done to improve
its look.
"S" or "s" keys reserved for the auto-solver (unimplemented).
Press "U" or "u" keys to undo move.
Press "G" or "g" keys to get a saved puzzle.
Press "W" or "w" keys to write or save a puzzle.
Press "Q", "q", or "CTRL-C" keys to kill program.
Use the key pad, "R" keys, or arrow keys to move without mouse clicks.
Key pad is defined for Pyraminx as:
/ Counterclockwise
8 9 Up, Upper Right
^
4<5>6 Left, Clockwise, Right
v
1 2 Lower Left, Down
Use the shift keys to access "Period 3" turns from "Both" mode, other‐
wise it assumes "Period 2" turning. Faces and points turn in "Period
3" and edges (2 points) turn in "Period 2".
Use the control key and the left mouse button, keypad, or arrow keys to
move the whole tetrahedron. This is not recorded as a turn.
The title is in the following format (non-motif version):
xpyraminx.{2|3|both<turning modes>}: {1|2|3|4|5|6|7|sticky<num‐
ber of "tetras" per edge>} @ (<Number of moves>/{<Record number
of moves> <username>|"NEVER noaccess"|"practice"}) - <Comment>
If there is no record of the current puzzle, it displays "NEVER noac‐
cess".
OPTIONS-geometry {+|-}X{+|-}Y
This option sets the initial position of the pyraminx window
(resource name "geometry").
-display host:dpy
This option specifies the X server to contact.
-[no]mono
This option allows you to display on a color screen as if
monochrome (resource name "mono").
-[no]{reverse|rv}
This option allows you to see the pyraminx window in reverse
video (resource name "reverse").
-{foreground|fg} color
This option specifies the foreground of the pyraminx window
(resource name "foreground").
-{background|bg} color
This option specifies the background of the pyraminx window
(resource name "background").
-{border|bd} color
This option specifies the border color of the tetras in the
pyraminx window (resource name "borderColor").
-face{0|1|2|3} <color>
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. The faces are ordered top to
bottom and left to right. 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 pyraminx (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.
-size <int>
This option allows you to change the number of tetras on a edge
(resource name "size").
-sticky This option allows you to set the sticky mode (resource name
"sticky").
-mode <int>
This option allows you to set the turning mode (resource name
"mode").
-both This option allows you to set the turning mode to both period 2
and period 3 (resource name "mode" set at 4).
-[no]orient
This option allows you to access the orient mode (resource name
"orient").
-[no]practice
This option allows you to access the practice mode (resource
name "practice").
-username string
This option specifies the user name for any records made or
else it will get your login name (resource name "userName").
SAVE FORMAT
The format is not standard. The reason for this is that this is simple
to produce and the standard notation is no good for variable number of
"tetras" and turning modes.
Pyraminx with default colors, not randomized:
0 B Blue
1 R Red
2 Y Yellow
3 G Green
size: 1-7 <number of triangles in the same orientation as the
face per row>
mode: 2-4 <period 2 turning, period 3 turning, or both (4)>
orient: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true; if 1 then lines on "tetras" to be
oriented>
sticky: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true; if 1 then some "tetras" move
together>
practice: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true>
moves: 0-MAXINT <total number of moves>
startingPosition: <2 dimensional array of face "tetra" position,
each face has size * size "tetras", if orient mode then orienta‐
tion number follows face number: 0 up, 1 upper right, 2 right, 3
down, 4 lower left, and 5 left>
This is then followed by the moves, starting from 1.
move #: <face> <position> <direction> <control>
Each turn is with respect to a face and position.
Position is 0 to size * size - 1. Position 0 is the triangle furthest
from the center, increasing clockwise.
Direction is represented 0 up, 1 upper right, 2 right, 3 down, 4 lower
left, 5 left, 9 clockwise, and 15 counterclockwise.
Control is represented as 0 or 1, 1 if the whole tetrahedron is moved
at once (here position does not matter), 0 if not. The xpyraminx
record keeper does not count a control move as a move, but here we do.
Caution: the program may crash on corrupted input.
REFERENCES
Mastering the Magic Pyramid by Tom Werneck, Evans Brothers Limited,
London, 1981. pp 109-111.
Beyond Rubik's Cube: spheres, pyramids, dodecahedrons and God knows
what else by Douglas R. Hofstadter, Scientific American, July 1982, pp
16-31.
Magic Cubes 1996 Catalog of Dr. Christoph Bandelow.
SEE ALSOX(1), xrubik(6), xskewb(6), xdino(6), xoct(6), xmball(6), xmlink(6),
xpanex(6), xcubes(6), xtriangles(6), xhexagons(6), xabacus(1)COPYRIGHTS
® Copyright 1994-99, David Albert Bagley
BUG REPORTS AND PROGRAM UPDATES
Send bugs (or their reports, or fixes) to the author
David Albert Bagley, <bagleyd@tux.org>
The latest version is currently at:
ftp://ftp.tux.org/pub/tux/bagleyd/xpuzzles
ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/games
V5.5 20 June 1999 XPYRAMINX(6)
