Adrija Chowdhury

Posted on Jul 10 • Edited on Jul 13

Cubeverse- A digital monument for the passion of cubing

#weekendchallenge #devchallenge

DEV Weekend Challenge: Passion Edition Submission

*This is a submission for Weekend Challenge: Passion Edition*

Cubeverse — A Digital Monument to the Passion of Speedcubing

Passion isn't measured by trophies.

It's measured by the thousands of tiny moments spent chasing mastery.

For speedcubers, every scramble is a challenge, every solve is a small victory, and every personal best is a memory. Yet most cubing tools reduce that journey to numbers on a timer.

I wanted to build something different. Ever since I was a kid my passion was directed towards cube. I would eat and even fall asleep with a cube in my hand trying to figure out the patterns lol.
So this time with this weekend challenge being all about passion I decided to submit my entry based on my favourite sport? or well passion :) (cubing is a sport T-T)

Cubeverse transforms speedcubing into an immersive digital experience where your progress feels alive. Instead of simply tracking solves, it celebrates the obsession behind them through interactive 3D visuals, AI-powered insights, cinematic animations, and a futuristic interface inspired by the world's best digital experiences.

Whether you're learning your first algorithm or chasing your next personal best, Cubeverse turns every solve into part of a larger story.

Because passion deserves more than a stopwatch.

Demo

Live deployment-

https://cubeverse-dev.vercel.app/

Code

adishchowdhury / CUBEVERSE_dev

Submission for dev challenge passion edition

Live deployment- https://cubeverse-dev.vercel.app/

Run Locally

Prerequisites: Node.js

Install dependencies: npm install
Set the GEMINI_API_KEY in .env.local to your Gemini API key
Run the app: npm run dev

View on GitHub

Features

✨ Features
🧩 Interactive Cubing Nexus

A real-time speedcubing environment featuring

Interactive solving interface
Live scramble generator
Professional timer
Session statistics
Personal best tracking
Average calculations
Score system
🤖 AI Cubing Coach (Google Gemini)

Instead of searching through forums or tutorials, users can ask the integrated AI coach anything.

Examples include

Explain OLL algorithms
Improve lookahead
Fix finger tricks
Learn CFOP
Practice strategies
Personalized cubing advice
Beginner-friendly explanations

The AI behaves like an experienced speedcuber sitting beside you.

🎙 AI Voice Motivation

Practice should feel encouraging.

Cubeverse includes an AI voice coach that motivates users during their cubing journey with spoken feedback and encouragement, making solo practice feel much more engaging.

🌍 Global Leaderboards

Compare your progress with other cubers.

Features include

Session rankings
Global rankings
Personal best history
Live synchronization
Competitive motivation
🎵 Built-in Lofi Focus Music

Speedcubing requires concentration.

Cubeverse includes an integrated lofi music player to create a calm, distraction-free environment while practicing.

🌌 Cubing Galaxy

Visualize your cubing journey beyond statistics.

Each solve contributes to your growing digital universe, turning progress into something memorable instead of another row in a spreadsheet.

📚 Algorithm Forge

Explore algorithms through an immersive interface designed for learning instead of memorizing.

✨ Cinematic Experience

The interface is heavily inspired by premium digital experiences such as

Apple
Linear
Fable
Awwwards
Active Theory

Featuring

Interactive 3D graphics
Smooth animations
Glassmorphism
Dynamic lighting
Floating particles
Rich motion design
Futuristic HUD-inspired UI
Demo

How I Built It

Cubeverse is built with modern web technologies to create a highly interactive experience instead of a traditional dashboard.

Frontend
Next.js
React
TypeScript
Tailwind CSS
Framer Motion
GSAP
React Three Fiber
Three.js

The interactive Rubik's Cube is rendered entirely in 3D using React Three Fiber and Three.js, allowing users to explore and interact with the puzzle naturally.

Animations are driven by GSAP and Framer Motion to make every interaction feel smooth and responsive.

For the Google AI prize category, I integrated Google Gemini to act as an intelligent cubing. The app was built with the help of *Google AI Studio*.

Rather than simply displaying algorithms, Gemini analyzes solving concepts, techniques in beginner-friendly style and guides users toward more efficient solving strategies.

The goal wasn't to add AI for the sake of AI—it was to recreate the experience of having an experienced cuber sitting beside you.

Design Philosophy

Instead of building another cube timer or algorithm database, I wanted Cubeverse to feel like stepping inside a digital museum dedicated to speedcubing.

Everything—from the lighting and typography to the animations and 3D interactions—was designed to celebrate the passion behind solving rather than just measuring performance.

Prize Categories

✅ *🤖 Best Use of Google AI*

Cubeverse uses Google Gemini as the brain of the platform rather than a simple chatbot.

The AI is woven throughout the experience as an intelligent speedcubing mentor capable of:

Explaining CFOP, Roux, and beginner methods conversationally.
Teaching OLL and PLL algorithms step-by-step.
Answering cubing questions in natural language.
Providing personalized learning guidance based on the user's goals.
Recommending practice strategies and solving techniques.
Helping beginners understand concepts instead of simply memorizing algorithms.

The objective was to make learning speedcubing feel like practicing alongside an experienced cuber instead of reading static tutorials.

EDIT- I ADDED AN AI COACH CHARACTER ENJOY Y'ALL!!!

✅ *🎙️ Best Use of ElevenLabs*

I wanted Cubeverse to feel alive—not just visually, but audibly.

Instead of limiting the experience to text responses, ElevenLabs powers an AI voice coach that accompanies the user throughout their cubing journey.

The voice coach can:

🎧 Deliver spoken coaching and algorithm explanations.
🏆 Celebrate personal bests and milestones.
💬 Motivate users during long practice sessions.
📖 Read AI-generated guidance naturally.
🎯 Turn Gemini's coaching into expressive, human-like speech.
🌙 Create an immersive practice environment alongside the built-in lofi player.

The integration transforms Cubeverse from a traditional learning platform into an interactive companion, making practice sessions feel much more personal and engaging.

Best use of Snowflake
Used Snowflake and Firebase for managing Global Stats

Built with passion for cubing by Adrija Chowdhury.