Shapez 2: ShapeCode & Device Mechanics

You're here to build a factory that doesn't look like a rat's nest. Good. This guide maps out the two systems that make or break your Shapez 2 run: ShapeCode — the DNA of every shape — and device logic — the machinery that chews through that DNA.

Miss these rules and your layouts will fail in ways that are painful to debug. Learn the string format first, then how each device transforms it. When you paste a blueprint on the Hub, the decoder and BOM are built on these same rules.

Every shape in Shapez 2 is just a string. The ShapeCode is that string. A basic shape segment is exactly two characters: a Shape Character + a Color Character.

Cr = Circle (C) + Red (r). Empty slot? That's --. Use this placeholder when you want a quadrant to stay blank — empty slots can still affect downstream logic.

A standard single-layer shape with four quadrants is four segments. CrCgCbCw = Red Circle in Q1, Green in Q2, Blue in Q3, White in Q4.

Layers stack with a colon :. CrCgCbCw:RuRuRuRu = bottom layer (Layer 0) is colored circles, top layer (Layer 1) is four Red Uncut Crystals. Internal order is fixed: Part 0 (Q1), Part 1 (Q2), Part 2 (Q3), Part 3 (Q4).

Ambiguous characters? Yeah, c can be Crystal (shape) or Cyan (color). Context saves you: in cr, c is Crystal, r is Red. In Cc, C is Circle, c is Cyan. Also, shape X must have a color. Shape Y is locked to white or black only.

Knowing the code is half the fight. Knowing how to cheese the mechanics is the other half. Each device is a deterministic algorithm — no RNG, no mercy.

The Rotator — your orientation tool. Clockwise 90° = cycle right-shift each layer by one. CrCgCbCw → CwCrCgCb. Last part wraps to first.

Counter-clockwise 90° = cycle left-shift. Same input → CgCbCwCr. 180° = cycle right-shift by two — swaps opposite quadrants. CrCgCbCw → CbCwCrCg. Simple math, but forget which direction and you're rebuilding.

The Cutter — not a simple split. It divides a four-quadrant shape into two halves. Output A gets Parts 2 and 3; Parts 0 and 1 become --. Output B gets the inverse.

Input CrCgCbCw → Output A: ----CbCw, Output B: CrCg----. The Cutter checks if its line passes through a continuous crystal — if so, it triggers a crystal shatter event that can wipe entire connected groups. Then gravity drop and layer cleanup. Don't cut where you shouldn't.

The HalfDestroyer — dumbed-down Cutter. It calls the Cutter, then trashes Output B. Keeps only Output A. Use it when you want half a shape and nothing else.

The Stacker — combines two shapes vertically. Places bottom input, then top input, inserts an empty layer between them. Then gravity drop + cleanup.

This is how you merge two single-layer shapes into one multi-layer beast — or combine halves from different cutters into a new whole. Platform stacker blueprints in the catalog assume you understand this stacking model.

The Painter — only touches the top layer. Changes dyeable parts to the specified color. Non-dyeable parts (empty slots -, pins P, crystals c, shapes X and Y) are left alone. Perfect for coloring the surface without wrecking the internals.

The Pin Pusher — structural support without the headache. Generates a new bottom layer from the original bottom layer. Every non-empty position in the original gets a P- (uncolored pin) in the new layer. Empty positions stay empty.

If the shape hasn't hit max layers, this pin layer goes at the bottom. If it has, the top layer gets pushed off entirely — which can trigger crystal shattering if that top layer connects to a crystal below. Then gravity drop + cleanup.

The Crystal Generator — fills empty space with crystals. Replaces any -- or P- in the current highest layer and all below with a crystal (c) of a specified color. Normal shapes and existing crystals stay untouched.

Input --CuP--- + Red Crystal Generator = crCucrcr. Empty slots and pin are gone, but Cu survives.

ShapeCode is string manipulation. Devices are deterministic algorithms. Learn both, and you can build anything — and read any blueprint detail page with confidence.

Ready for platform-scale layouts? Browse the blueprint catalog or submit your own build.