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Java applet help

The java applet to display and build your own burr puzzles runs in either display or build mode. The display mode is shown in the picture below. To switch to build mode click on any of the pieces. You will then be able to change the pieces and have the applet calculate new solutions or cancel out to come back to the display mode.

Applet overview picture

The following picture shows the build mode of the applet. Here you can edit the pieces by clicking on the cube symbols below each piece to place or remove a given cube. The applet will keep track of the type of pieces. Once there are no disjoint pieces and the weight of all pieces is less than or equal to 32 the "Calculate" button becomes active. Pressing the calculate button starts the calculation.

Applet build picture

There are a few options at the bottom of the applet:

Max calc time per solution (in minutes):
Some assemblies take extremely long to calculate. This gives you the option to limit the time the applet spends in trying to take an assembly apart. Note: if a set of pieces has 10 assemblies the applet will stop after at most 10 times your timeout value. The default value is 2 minutes.

Find first solution only:
Some sets of pieces have many solutions. Selecting this option will terminate the calculations after the first solution is found. By default this option is off so that all solutions get calculated.

Find minimal level:
When a solution is found, it is not necessary the minimal level solution for a given assembly. Selecting this option will continue the calculations until the minimal level is found. By default this option is off to minimize the compute time.

Piece Length:
Solutions may vary greatly with piece length. This option allows you to specify the most common length of pieces used to make burrs (6, 8, 10, and 12). The default length is 6.

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