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Select the Windows Binary version and download it and extract the files to where you want them.
Run BT by selecting Burrgui.exe, and uncheck the box on the first screen. Click RUN.
Up in the top left corner click 'NEW', ready to create your first piece.
In the X-Y-Z boxes half way down the left side you should see 6-6-6. That defines the current maximum size for your puzzle, 6x6x6 units.
Below that you will see a 6x6 grid.
Up in the top left corner click the button marked 'NEW', to create your target shape, a 3x3x3 cube. Create a 3x3 grid on the bottom layer, by clicking in the cells to fill each unit cube. You can also click and drag across the 3x3 square. Re-clicking a cell toggles its state.
To the left of the creation grid you will see a blue graduated scale with a slider at the bottom. Drag the slider up one unit, or click on the next unit up on the scale. On the grid you can now see faintly the shape of the piece on the bottom layer.
Add a middle layer directly above the base layer. Drag the slider up another unit and repeat. You have now created a 3x3x3 target shape.
Up in the top left corner click 'NEW', to create your first piece Click in the cells to fill each unit cube of your first piece, the L-tromino.
NOTE: Periodically, click 'File' on the menu bar at the very top of the screen and save your work with a suitable name.
Up in the top left corner click 'NEW', to create your second piece, the L tetromino. Repeat for the T and S tetrominoes. You have now created the four planar or single-level pieces.
Up in the top left corner click 'NEW', to create your fifth piece. The remaining three pieces are all created by adding a fourth unit cube to an L-tromino. Click in three cells to create another L-tromino. To the left of the creation grid you will see a blue graduated slider. Drag the slider up one unit, or click on the next unit on the scale. On the grid you can see faintly the shape of the piece on the bottom layer. Add the fourth cube immediately above one of the existing cubes on the bottom layer. You have now created a double-layer piece.
Up in the top left corner click 'NEW', to create your sixth piece. Repeat the previous paragraph, creating the second double-layer piece. Then create the third double layer piece.
You have now created all your entities, the pieces making the puzzle and the target shape.
The target and seven pieces are identified as S1 to S8. If you want to, you can select each one in turn, click the button marked 'LABEL' and give them more meaningful names.
Up in the top left corner click 'Puzzle', to create your puzzle. Up in the top left corner click 'NEW', to create your first puzzle, P1. Select piece S1, and click the 'SET RESULT' button. That specifies that S1 is the target. Now click the button marked 'all+1'. This adds the remaining seven pieces. For the Soma cube all seven pieces are different. If you were designing a puzzle with some pieces occurring more than once, you would select the piece and click the button marked '+1' to add further copies. For example, if you wanted to find how many ways of fitting 9 L-trominoes into a 3x3x3 cube, then you would add the L-tromino 9 times.
You've now created the actual puzzle. Now we will try and solve it, and find out how many solutions there are.
Up at the top, select the Solver tab. Half way down the left side click the button marked 'Prepare'. If you have created a valid target shape and valid pieces, it will seem as if nothing has happened. This is good. If you get an error message, it will probably be to tell you that you have got too many or too few unit cubes in your pieces to fill the target shape.
To the right of the 'Prepare' button is one marked 'Start'. Click on that to start the solver. Almost immediately, the status bar will turn blue, and show '100.0000%' . Just below the blue bar it should say 'Activity: finished' and below that it should say 'Assemblies: 240, Time used: 0 seconds'. There are 240 solutions for the Soma cube, discounting reflections and rotations.
To the right of the control panel you will see a solved cube. Click and drag anywhere in the panel around the cube to turn the cube to see it from different angles.
Just below the 'Assemblies: 240' line you will see a slider. Drag it to the right and you will see the image change rapidly from one solution to the next, showing the first 100 solutions.
Just above the 'Prepare' and 'Start' buttons, you will see a checkbox marked 'Disassemble'. Checking this will slow down the solver slightly, but it will allow you to watch BT take each of the solutions apart. If your puzzle is relatively simple, there might be more than 100 solutions. If this is the case, increase the value marked 'Limit'. Click 'Prepare' and 'Start' again. After a second or two, the status bar will turn blue, and show '100.0000%' again. Because you checked 'Disassemble' BurrTools has added a second slider below the Solution slider. Now, for each position on the Solution bar, you can click and drag the 'Move' Slider and watch BurrTools take the cube apart. At any time you can stop dragging the Move slider, and click and drag anywhere in the panel around the cube to turn the cube to see it partly dismantled from different angles.
That is BurrTools at it's simplest. It is a very sophisticated program, and I have only touched on the basic functions available. Experiment with all the other options, read the tool tips when you hover the cursor over a button, tab, value or option for more information. Oh, and read the manual.
Before I finish, I'll just mention a couple of other options, which you might even have already been thinking about.
Let's imagine that you
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