Controls Guide: Camera, Placement, Levels & Logic

Controls describes the player input and UI interactions used to build, inspect, navigate and operate factories in shapez 2. It covers camera/View modes, placement hotkeys and modifiers, map and marker controls, conveyors/pipes/lifts level controls, and the basic control devices (toggle buttons / shape analyzer / global signal transmitter) you will use to wire machine logic.

Camera and View modes

• Toggle between three View Modes with the View Mode buttons: Machine View, Space View, and Map View.
• Scroll out with the mouse scroll wheel to enter Map Mode.
• Use the "Jump To Vortex" key (default H) to move the camera to the Vortex and set View Mode to Machine View.
• Use the "Switch Mode" key (default Space) to toggle between Space View and Machine View.
• The UI displays different indicators depending on view mode (compass, location markers, pinned shapes, etc.).

Placement and building hotkeys

• Place most buildings and belts by dragging while holding the Confirm Placement hotkey (default Left Click).
• While dragging conveyor belts, you can place Anchors to lock belt pieces without completing placement by pressing the Place Anchor hotkey (default C).
• Many placement tools support rotating or changing level; see the level controls below.

Level controls (vertical placement)

• When placing multi-level transport (Conveyor Lift, Vertical Pipe, Vertical Conveyor variants), change the target level with:
  • Level Up (default E)
  • Level Down (default Q)
• Conveyor Lifts:
  • Move shapes between machine levels.
  • Each lift has one input and one output. Input and output directions can each be any of the four compass directions, so shapes can turn or reverse while passing through the lift.
  • Splitting or merging must be done on a separate tile — a lift cannot split/merge.
• Vertical Pipes:
  • Vertical Pipes move fluids between machine levels and have one input and one output.

Map and markers

• Enter Map Mode by scrolling out or selecting Map View.
• Create Map Markers with the Create Map Marker key (default L). When creating a marker you can:
  • Give it an optional name.
  • Choose a default shape code or enter a custom shape code.
• Edit markers by right-clicking (Edit Marker) while hovering a marker to change its name, shape code, or delete it.
• Map View offers multiple visualizations: Grid (tiles, chunks, super chunks, quadrants), Shape Asteroids, Coordinates and Conflicts.

UI windows and tools

• Main UI sections:
  • Machine View, Space View, Map View
  • Gameplay panels: Milestones, Jobs, Shop, Trades, Operator
  • Tools: Codex, Blueprint Library, Statistics, Shape Viewer
  • Toolbar groups: Shape Machines, Fluid Machines, Wire Machines, Sandbox Machines, Space Platforms, Trains, Trade Stations, Blueprints
• Context windows:
  • Machine Info and Selection Info open when selecting machines or tiles.
• Shape Inspector / Shape Viewer:
  • Open by clicking any shape in the UI. It shows a 3D view, adjustable view angle, spacing options for quadrants/layers, stored amount and delivery stats, and navigation through shape history. It also lists available Part Types and Colors for the current scenario.

Controls for logic devices

• Toggle Button (Button)
  • The Toggle Button outputs a logical signal on its wire interface.
  • It has two states: On outputs 1, Off outputs null.
  • Toggle the button from its pop-up menu when the machine is selected, or press the Toggle Button hotkey (default Tab) while hovering the button with the cursor.
• Shape Analyzer
  • The Shape Analyzer accepts a shape code as input and inspects the northeast quadrant of incoming shapes.
  • It outputs the uncolored shape signal for that inspected part via the top output, and the color signal for that part via the side output.
  • If the inspected part is a Pin or empty, the color output is null.
• Global Signal Transmitter / Receiver
  • The Global Signal Transmitter sends a signal to all Global Signal Receivers that have the same Channel Input configured.
  • Requirements:
    • Channel Input (#) must be a non-null, non-conflict wire signal for the transmitter to operate.
    • Signal Input (⚡) can be any wire signal and is what gets broadcast if not null.
  • Transmitter color indicators:
    • Red when Channel Input is null.
    • Yellow when Channel Input is present but Signal Input is null.
    • Green when both Channel Input and Signal Input are present.

Sandbox / special controls

• Some sandbox or debug-only machines (for example Fluid Producer) are unlocked only via cheats or sandbox mode. After placing a sandbox machine that supports configuration, select it and choose options from its dropdowns (for Fluid Producer, select the produced color).

Pre-game and miscellaneous controls

• The pre-game/title screen contains Play, Settings, Mods, About (Changelog, Credits, Licenses) and New Game setup (mode, scenario, scenario settings).
• Advanced users can launch the game with command line arguments by opening the game's Assets folder via Steam → Manage → Browse local files and running the executable with desired arguments.

Use these controls as the baseline for building, wiring, and navigating your factory. Keybindings above refer to defaults; you can rebind many keys in Settings.