How to Use CubeDB (cubedb.net) to Record and Analyze Rubik's Cube Solves

Updated

CubeDB is a browser-based cube notation and playback tool: you enter a scramble and a solution as move sequences, then use its playback, timing, and move-count readouts to review what happened. It suits solvers who already write or paste algorithms in standard notation and want to check move counts, replay a solve step by step, or compare methods. It is not a timer that watches you solve — the moves come from text you provide.

Entering a scramble and a solution

The tool works on text, not on a camera or a connected timer.

  1. Pick your puzzle from the selector: 3x3, 2x2, 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 7x7, Square1, Pyraminx, Skewb, or Clock.
  2. Use Random to generate a scramble if you don't have one, or type your own scramble into the move field.
  3. Add your solution moves in the same field, in standard notation. The page notes an old notation option where r means 2R, so check which convention your algorithm uses before pasting.
  4. Press Playback to watch the sequence applied to the cube.

The result is a step-by-step animation of the exact moves you entered, which is the fastest way to spot a mistyped turn or a missing rotation.

Playback, timing, and the Result field

Algorithm Playback runs your move list on the on-screen cube. Result (seconds) is where a time is recorded against the sequence — you supply it, so it reflects your own solve time rather than anything the tool measures.

Because playback and time sit next to each other, the practical workflow is: solve, note your time, then enter the scramble and solution and attach that time. You end up with a replayable record of the solve plus its duration.

What HTM, QTM, STM, and ETM tell you

These four counters appear under the move field and each counts the same sequence differently:

Metric Counts Useful for
HTM Half turns (e.g. R2) as one move Comparing against most published CFOP/ZZ algorithm counts
QTM Quarter turns, so R2 counts as two Comparing against methods that measure in quarter turns
STM Slice moves (M, E, S) as one move Roux and other slice-heavy methods
ETM Includes rotations as moves Judging ergonomics when you rotate the cube mid-solve

If you are comparing your solution to an algorithm sheet, match the metric the sheet uses — a 12-move HTM solution and a 12-move QTM solution are not the same length.

Editing and transforming a sequence

The controls let you modify a sequence without retyping it:

  • Rotate(x) / Rotate(y) / Rotate(z) reorient the whole sequence.
  • Mirror(M) / Mirror(S) produce mirrored versions, handy for left/right-hand variants of an algorithm.
  • Dual and Invert generate the paired or reversed sequence.
  • Remove Comments strips annotation text so the move list stays clean.

These are the operations you want when adapting an algorithm for a different hand, a different orientation, or a different slot.

Highlighting and method-specific views

The highlighting options — Full, Cross, F2L, OLL, PLL, COLL, F2B, CMLL, Centers, Edges — plus the color and Roux block selectors let you shade specific pieces or stages. Setting Cross Color or Roux Blocks (Blue/Green, Red/Orange, Yellow/White) makes it easier to see whether a stage is actually complete in the replay.

There is also an Automated Solve Critique (CFOP) option, which is aimed at CFOP solutions specifically. If you solve with Roux or another method, use the block and stage highlighting instead.

Practical limits to keep in mind

  • Everything depends on correct notation. A single wrong letter produces a wrong replay and a misleading move count.
  • Times are entered by you, so the tool is a record and review aid, not an automatic timer.
  • The critique feature is labeled for CFOP, so treat its output as CFOP-specific.
  • The page shows a WCA Login and donate link, but no pricing or account details are given here — check the site itself if you need to know what an account adds.