Rubik's Solver

Rubik's Snake Solver (Twist) — 3D

This puzzle has no single solved state — instead you fold it into shapes. Click a wedge to twist the joint behind it one notch (shift-click for the other direction) until the 3D model matches your real snake, pick a target shape, then hit Solve! for a collision-checked twist sequence. Steps marked shortest possible were proven minimal; longer solutions are labelled honestly as near-minimal.

 

A guide for your physical puzzle

How to solve your Rubik's Snake

When this tool helps

Use the Snake tool to work toward a chosen shape, inspect how a target is folded, or return to a configuration you saved as a fold code. Unlike a colour cube, the Snake has no single solved state: you choose the destination. Painting the wedges changes their appearance, while the joints determine the shape.

Check which puzzle you have

A chain of 24 triangular wedges joined at 23 rotating joints. It has no single solved colour arrangement. Choose a shape to fold into; sticker colours change its appearance but do not change the folding problem.

Before you press Solve

  1. Choose one end as the reference and keep it throughout entry and playback. Joints are counted from that end; switching ends halfway through changes how you read the sequence.
  2. Select the Twist tool to enter the shape. Click a wedge to turn the preceding joint one notch, or shift-click for the opposite direction. Dragging rotates the view instead of changing a joint.
  3. The Fold code box records 23 digits from 0 to 3, one for each joint. Copy it before experimenting. Paste a saved code and choose Apply to reconstruct the same starting fold.

Read the moves

Each step identifies a joint and turns the remaining chain by one 90° notch. Hold the reference end steady and move the section beyond that joint. Fold-code digits describe joint positions; they are not a sequence of moves to perform.

Follow the answer on your physical puzzle

  1. Enter the current joint positions or apply a saved fold code, then compare the model with your toy from the same reference end. A matching silhouette from one angle can hide a different fold, so rotate the view and check where the chain passes behind itself.
  2. Choose the target and press Solve. Read the result’s search status, then use Next one step at a time. Identify the named joint from the reference end and move the remaining chain by the instructed notch while holding the preceding section steady.
  3. At the destination, compare the whole chain with the target and copy the resulting fold code if you want to keep it. A code records a configuration, not a recipe of turns. If the physical pieces bind during a step, stop: valid resting positions do not guarantee clearance throughout the swing.

Turn the result into practice

For a reproducible first project, straighten your physical Snake and choose Reset on screen, then select Dog and solve. Compare the growing shape after each completed notch. Later, paste the dog code shown below to inspect the final geometry directly. Save your own starting code before exploring so you can distinguish the shape you began with from a new experiment.

Try it step by step

To explore the dog, start with Reset, select Dog and press Solve. Advance one step at a time and compare the moving section with your own chain. You can also paste the confirmed dog code 20220200022020020220002 and press Apply to inspect the target directly.

When something does not match

Applying a fold code gives an error.

Check that it contains exactly 23 digits and only 0, 1, 2 or 3. A syntactically correct code can still place two wedges in the same space; the validator rejects that overlap.

The solver reaches its search limit.

A bounded search can run out of resources without finding a path. That is not proof that the target is unreachable. Try a more open starting fold or the straight bar, keeping track of any physical changes you make.

A tight turn is difficult on the physical toy.

Collision checks apply to the resting positions between notches. They do not certify clearance through every intermediate angle. Stop if a turn binds; never force the joint because the screen shows a valid endpoint.

For help with colour entry, grip and playback, read the solving guide. See three illustrated positions with correct counts that still cannot be solved. If the result still looks wrong, send a reproducible bug report.

What this solver guarantees

The ball and ring targets were found with the project’s search tools. The dog is an exact fold confirmed by the owner against a physical snake. The solver checks the resting folds along its returned path. A result is labelled shortest only when the bounded exact search proves it; fallback paths make a weaker claim.

Read about our verification methods or choose another puzzle.