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Ball Physics

Shape Merge

Lego bricks, squares or triangles bounce around a box, then snap together into one random shape.

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About

Shape Merge is a calm building simulation that you set up in two taps. First choose the piece type: lego bricks, plain squares or triangles. Then choose how many pieces there are: 8, 16, 32 or 48. Press Start and every piece glides around a square box in a straight diagonal line at a steady speed, bouncing off the walls and off the other pieces like the classic DVD screensaver logo.

For the first five seconds the pieces only bounce, so you can see what you are working with. After that, pieces that touch can snap together. Lego bricks have two studs, on top and on the right, and two slots, at the bottom and on the left, and a stud clicks into a slot it meets. Squares join edge to edge wherever two sides meet, and triangles join on their straight sides or on matching slanted sides, which makes a square. Joined pieces move as one, so the shape keeps growing until it is one random structure, or until no more pieces can fit. Every join plays a bell note that rises as the build grows, and every run ends differently.

There is nothing to control once the run begins. Pick a piece type and a count, watch what gets built, then press the replay button to try another combination.

How to Play

  1. Choose a piece type: Lego, Square or Triangle.
  2. Choose how many pieces: 8, 16, 32 or 48, then press Start.
  3. Watch the pieces bounce for five seconds, then snap together when they touch.
  4. When the build is finished, press the replay button to choose again.

Tips

  • Pieces never turn, so a lego stud only fits a slot on a side that faces it.
  • Squares and lego bricks join on any side. Triangles join on their two straight sides, and two matching triangles can also join on their slanted sides to make a square.
  • More pieces means a busier box and a longer build; 8 pieces is the quickest to finish.
  • Pieces only join when matching sides meet, so a few builds can still end as several separate shapes.

Details

Category
Ball Physics
Layout
portrait

Pieces that build something on their own

Shape Merge starts with a choice. Pick the kind of piece you want to watch: lego bricks, plain squares or triangles. Then pick how many there are, from 8 to 48. Press Start and the pieces glide around a square box in straight diagonal lines at a steady speed, bouncing off the walls and off each other like the classic DVD screensaver.

For the first five seconds the pieces only bounce, so you can see how many there are and how they move. After that, any pieces that touch in the right way can snap together, and the structure starts to grow.

How each piece type joins

Lego bricks each have two studs, on the top and the right, and two slots, on the bottom and the left. A stud clicks into a slot it meets, and the two bricks slide into place on a shared grid. Squares have four plain sides and join edge to edge wherever two sides touch. Triangles are right triangles that join along their two straight sides, and two matching triangles can also join on their slanted sides to form a square.

The pieces never turn, so a connection only happens when the sides already face each other. Many meetings end in a bounce instead of a snap, so some builds come together in seconds and others take a while. Pieces only join when matching sides meet, so a build occasionally finishes as several separate shapes.

Why every build is different

The starting positions, directions and colours are random every run, and so is the order in which pieces meet. A different piece type or count changes the result too: 8 squares give a small neat block, while 48 lego bricks can make a tall, lumpy tower.

Every join plays a bell note that rises as the build grows, and a final chord marks the moment the last piece clicks in. Press the replay button afterwards to choose a new piece type and count.

Frequently asked questions

What can I choose?
The piece type (lego, square or triangle) and the number of pieces (8, 16, 32 or 48).
Do I control the pieces?
No. Once you press Start, the pieces move and join on their own.
Why do some builds end with several shapes?
Pieces only join when matching sides meet, so sometimes no more connections are possible.
Is the final shape always the same?
No. Every run starts differently, so every build is different.

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