Pipe

Pipes transport fluid across platforms and between machine levels in Shapez 2. Pipes themselves do not contain fluid and have an unlimited transfer rate. Standard pipes on a single level are omnidirectional and can split and merge in all four cardinal directions; vertical pipes connect different machine levels and have one input and one output.

Pipes are placed by dragging while holding the Confirm Placement hotkey (default Left Click). While dragging, Anchors can be placed to lock pipe pieces without committing them; Anchors are added and removed with the Place Anchor hotkey (default C). When placing a vertical pipe you can change the target level with the Level Up (default E) and Level Down (default Q) hotkeys. Splitters and mergers are created naturally by dragging from a pre-existing pipe, by dragging a pipe next to machine inputs or outputs, or by placing machines with their input/output facing an adjacent pipe.

If the color of a fluid input feeding a pipe is changed, the fluid currently in the pipe will drain and be replaced with the new color. The same behavior applies to Fluid Launchers and Catchers: changing their fluid input color drains their stored fluid and replaces it with the new color. Fluid Launchers and Catchers are used to transport fluid between Machine Platforms and Space Pipes as well as on Machine Platforms. On Machine Platforms, a launcher must be placed by starting a drag at the desired launcher position and dragging to the desired catcher position; catchers on a platform may only be 1 to 4 empty tiles away from their launcher. A launcher will connect to the furthest catcher in range, and if multiple launchers attempt to connect to the same catcher, the launcher furthest from the catcher will be chosen.

Practical notes:

• Pipes do not act as storage; they only provide instantaneous transport with no throughput cap.
• Use Anchors (C) while dragging to lock sections when planning complex routes across platforms or around machines.
• Vertical Pipes are unidirectional connections between levels with a single input and output; adjust levels during placement with E (up) and Q (down).
• Place pipes adjacent to machine inputs/outputs or drag from existing pipe segments to form splitters and mergers naturally.
• Changing the color at a fluid source will clear and replace fluid inside connected pipes, launchers, and catchers, so plan color changes to avoid unintended interruptions.