OverView

The Qube program models the Rubik Cube. Click on Setup, then use the mouse to make the figure on the screen match your scrambled Cube. Use the scroll bars along the bottom and right side of the figure to rotate the cube so that you can see all six sides.  Next, click Solve. After the best solution is found, use the Next>> button to step through the moves needed to restore your Cube to its home position. The figure follows along with the moves, so you can be sure you are making the correct moves.

Clear Button

This puts the figure in its home position.  From here you can use the mouse to twist the sides by clicking on each side. A right click rotates clockwise, the left button rotates counterclockwise. Use the scroll bars along the bottom and right side of the figure to rotate the cube so that you can see all six sides.

Setup Button

This button allows you to assign a color to each facet of the Cube, so that you can make the figure match any scrambled Cube. Use the scroll bars along the bottom and right sides of the figure to rotate the cube so that you can see all six sides. Once all facets have been correctly assigned a color, you can click the Solve button.

Solve Button

This button starts searching for the best solution. At any time you can click the Stop button to halt the search. Use the Options/Solver menu to change the speed and thoroughness of the search.

Stop Button

During a search, this button will halt the search for a solution. Otherwise, if a solution is being examined with the <<Prev and Next>> buttons: then the Stop button will discard the solution, and allow the Cube to be re-solved, or further scrambled.

<<Prev and Next>> Buttons

These buttons display the solution to a scrambled Cube one step at a time. The step is made on the figure as it is displayed, thus the figure shows the cube after the step has been made.

Each step is described in terms of a twist of one of the colored sides.  The color refers to the center facet of the side to be twisted. The direction of the twist is given assuming that you are facing the side to be twisted. A plus (+) means a quarter turn clockwise, a minus (-) means a quarter turn counter clockwise. Two plusses (++) means a half turn.

Options/Colors Menu

This allows you to change which colors are on which sides of the cube figure.  This allows you to match the figure to your Rubik Cube.

QUBECFG.INI

This file contains the color assignments, as well as the solution speed settings. If this file does not exist, it is created with default settings. You should never need to edit this file directly.