Wiki: Shape Structure, Codes & Crystal Rules Guide

Shapes are the central game object in Shapez 2: discrete multi-layered items composed of parts (quadrants/segments) and colors that you extract, modify, route and deliver to meet goals.

Structure of a Shape

• A shape is made of layers; each layer is made of parts (called quadrant blocks in quad configuration).
• Part = a pair of a Part Type and a Color.
• Part connectivity: parts are considered connected horizontally if they are directly adjacent (edges touching). Diagonals/corners do not count. Pins do not count as connecting parts.
• Support rules: a part is supported if any of the following apply:
  • it is on the bottom layer of the shape,
  • it is directly above a supported part,
  • it is horizontally connected to a supported part,
  • it is a crystal directly beneath another supported crystal. These rules matter for gravity behavior and some machine effects.

Shape Configurations

• Quad: default configuration — layers have 4 parts.
• Hex: used in the Hexagonal scenario — layers have 6 parts.
• Flexible ruleset: used by the Shape Inspector and some UI icons; layers can have any number of parts from any configuration, but all layers in the shape must contain the same number of parts.
• Strict ruleset: used for Signal Producers and Item Producers in normal gameplay; shapes must only contain parts allowed by the current Shapes Configuration and must have the matching number of parts per layer.

Part Types (what can appear in a layer)

Quad and Hex share some families of parts; availability depends on scenario and shape configuration:

• Quad parts (examples): Circle (C), Square (R), Star (S), Diamond (W), Refined Shape X (X), Refined Shape Y (Y).
• Hex parts (examples): Hexagon (H), Flower (F), Gear (G).
• Common parts that exist in both configurations:
  • Pin (P) — a non-colored structural part (cannot have color),
  • Crystal (c) — can have color and interacts with special crystal rules,
  • Empty (-) — a placeholder, no color. Codes listed here (C, R, S, W, X, Y, H, F, G, P, c, -) are used in Shape Codes and in many internal/blueprint strings.

Colors

• Available color codes: Uncolored (u), Red (r), Green (g), Blue (b), Cyan (c), Magenta (m), Yellow (y), White (w), Black (k).
• How colors appear visually depends on the game's Color Mode setting.
• Fluids have analogous color options (see Fluid Colors in the game).

Crystals and Crystal Rules

• Crystals are a part type that can be colored.
• Crystal connectivity and fragility: when a cutting operation severs a crystal piece that is connected to others (or when a connected crystal is destroyed by certain machines), the whole connected crystal group shatters.
• Crystals also interact with support rules: a crystal directly above a supported crystal can be considered supported.

Shape Gravity and Post-processing Rules

• After machines that cut or otherwise alter shapes, Shape Gravity Rules are applied to the result. Gravity will remove unsupported parts/layers according to the support definitions above.
• Machines' rotation does not change which halves they operate on; most machines operate on east/west halves regardless of their visual rotation.

Shape Codes (serialization and sharing)

• Shapes can be represented by Shape Codes — compact strings used to move shapes between the game and external tools or share in blueprints.
• Format:
  • Each layer is serialized bottom-to-top and layers are separated by colons (:).
  • Within a layer, each part is represented by two characters: the Part Type code followed by the Color code (use - for parts that cannot have color).
  • Parts in a layer are ordered starting from the top-right part then clockwise.
• Shape Codes respect the Part Type and Color codes listed above and are widely used for Blueprint files and sharing via community tools.

Shape Inspector

• Opened by clicking any shape in the UI.
• Features:
  • 3D view with adjustable camera angle.
  • Controls to space out quadrants and layers for inspection.
  • Shows stored amount of the shape and delivery statistics.
  • Navigation through shape history.
  • A panel listing all Part Types and Colors available in the current Scenario.
• The Shape Inspector uses the Flexible Ruleset to allow previewing shapes that may not be valid under the current Scenario strict rules.

Scenarios and Validity

• Different Scenarios affect which Part Types and number of layers are allowed:
  • Standard scenarios limit shapes to 1–4 layers (Insane allows 1–5 layers).
  • The Hexagonal Scenario enforces the Hex configuration (6 parts per layer).
• Shape Validity Rules exist to validate shape inputs (e.g., Shape Codes). The game exposes two rulesets (Flexible and Strict) as noted above.
• Shapes created from Shape Codes can contain more layers than allowed by the current Scenario; excess layers will be removed when the shape passes through machines that enforce Shape Gravity Rules.

Logistics and Simulated Machines

• Simulated Machines (in UI/logic contexts) accept shape and color signals instead of physical shape items and output corresponding signals; they mirror real machines’ logical behavior for planning and layout purposes.
• Machines that operate on shapes follow the same connectivity/gravity rules described above.

Blueprints and Sharing

• Blueprints (.spz2bp files) store assembled layouts, including shapes or shape-producing setups.
• The Blueprint Library stores blueprints in a folder with optional toolbar.json for quick access (9 toolbar slots).
• Sharing: community sites and the Discord blueprint channels are the main sharing venues; Shape Codes are commonly shared in those places.

Modding and Data Access

• Shapez 2 supports mods natively and provides documentation, sample mods, and an API (ShapezShifter).
• Game data (exported game data, scenarios, blueprints, savegames, persistent data) is accessible via the game's UI or file system paths for each OS.
• Modders can extend Part Types, Colors, and other shape-related mechanics through the modding API and provided documentation.

This page summarizes the canonical rules and data representations for shapes in Shapez 2: their composition, codes, inspector, scenario-dependent constraints, and how the game processes them after machine operations.