GT Interface
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Introduction
This article covers the core functionality for interacting with blocks added by Gregtech. This includes configuring the way machines and pipes interact with things around them, applying and manipulating covers (as well as what covers actually do to the blocks you put them on), and understanding and using the graphical user interfaces (GUIs) of Gregtech machines (editor's note: if the GUI section gets too big, which it might, then it may be beneficial to split off into its own article). For practical use cases of pipes and covers, see GT Logistics (editor's note: I'm working on the GT logistics guide in tandem with this guide).
Understanding & Manipulating GT Blocks
Editor's note: this section will describe: what different faces of GT blocks do and how to tell which face is which; how pipes and wires connect to each other and to blocks (and what kinds of blocks they can and can't connect to); how to access block faces with the wireframe visualization; how to apply and remove covers; in-world functions of GT tools; how to access different kinds of GUIs.
Gregtech Machines & Devices
One of the most common things in any Gregtech base will be singleblock machines: blocks which, when properly powered, will allow you to turn item and/or fluid ingredients into item and/or fluid outputs. These, along with other Gregtech blocks that have a wide variety of functions (e.g. transformers, item filters, hatches), are all capable of interacting with surrounding blocks in very similar ways and can be configured by the player in similar ways.
All Gregtech machines and devices can be safely mined using a Gregtech wrench.
Block Faces
For anyone unfamiliar with geometric terminology, a cube (in this case, a Minecraft block) has a surface composed of six squares called "faces". Most blocks in Gregtech (those with a function, anyway) have one unique face that is different than the rest. Singleblock machines actually have two unique faces. When you place a block, the unique face will usually be facing towards you.
You can typically see what direction a machine is facing in the WAILA overlay, which means you don't have to look at every face individually to find this out.
The Wireframe
Certain Gregtech tools (the crowbar, screwdriver, wirecutter, wrench, and electric or multitool variants of these) as well as Gregtech covers and Railcraft crowbars (which behave identically to Gregtech crowbars) allow you to configure specific faces of functional blocks. When you hold any of these items and look at any Gregtech machine, functional block (like a transformer), pipe, or wire (or certain vanilla blocks, such as hoppers) at close enough proximity to interact with that block, you will see a wireframe overlay on the block face you are looking at. This overlay allows you to use the right-click interaction of the tool or cover you are holding to affect any face of the block without having to right-click the desired face directly. The face you interact with is determined by where you click on the wireframe.
The image labelled "The Wireframe" is an example of how the wireframe overlay looks: it divides the block face into nine sections without obscuring your view of the block. The numbers are not present in-game; the screenshot has been annotated for the purpose of this guide. Right-clicking in the middle section (labelled "1" in the screenshot) interacts with the block face you are looking at, while right-clicking any of the corners (labelled "6" in the screenshot) will interact with the face opposite the one you are looking at. Right-clicking any of the edge sections (labelled "2" through "5" in the screenshot) interacts with the face immediately adjacent to the section that you click. For example, in the case of the screenshot, right-clicking on any of the sections labelled "6" interacts with the back face of the machine (since the player is looking at the front face in this case), right-clicking on the section labelled "3" interacts with the right face of the machine, and right-clicking on the section labelled "5" interacts with the bottom face of the machine; the latter is true even though the bottom face is completely blocked off in this case, and is therefore not directly accessible without breaking blocks.
Singleblock Machines
Singleblock machines have a front face (which has an identifying texture indicating the type of machine) and an output face (which has a dark grey square texture in the middle) (Editor's note: add screenshots). When you place a singleblock machine, the front face will be horizontally facing you and the output face will be opposite the front. The category of "singleblock machines" excludes things like generators and steam boilers, which are covered separately.
The front face can only be repositioned by breaking the machine and re-placing it. Covers cannot be attached to the front of a singleblock machine, and nothing can be transferred in or out of the machine via the front face by any method.
The output face can be repositioned to any other face (aside from the front face, which cannot coincide with the output) by right-clicking on the appropriate section of the wireframe layout using a Gregtech wrench. Gregtech singleblock machines can be set to auto-output items and/or fluids that are the products of recipes by using the auto-output buttons in the GUI (see GUI section of this article), and this type of built-in auto-output occurs via the output face. By default, items and fluids cannot be inserted into a machine via the output face; this behaviour can be changed by right-clicking the output face with a Gregtech screwdriver to allow input via the output face (you can change this back to the default by simply right-clicking again on the output face with a screwdriver).
On steam machines, the "output" face instead serves as the steam vent; this means that the face must not be obstructed (i.e. the block space immediately adjacent to the steam vent face must be empty) in order for the machine to function. Steam machines lack an auto-output function for recipe products.
You can right-click any machine with a soft mallet to deactivate or reactivate it.
Singleblock Boilers & Generators
Gregtech's singleblock steam boilers are an exception to the rule of being unable to input resources via a machine's front face. Fuel-burning singleblock boilers can accept water via any face, including the front, though they cannot accept solid fuels via the front face. Fuel-burning singleblock boilers will automatically output steam to any pipe or fluid inventory connected to any face other than the front and bottom faces. This means that the front and bottom faces are usually the best places to connect water pipes to, as the boiler will never fill an empty water pipe with steam in such a configuration.
The singleblock "advanced boilers" from GT++ will accept solid fuel via the front face. Other than that, they behave identically to other singleblock solid-fueled boilers with regards to I/O.
As of GTNH version 2.3.3, the high pressure lava boiler has special I/O functionality. Lava boilers will auto-import lava via the top face, and will auto-output steam via the back face. Water may only be piped into a lava boiler via the left or right faces. The new obsidian waste product of lava boilers may be extracted via the bottom face, and the front face is inaccessible to I/O methods.
For all singleblock boilers, the front face of the boiler can be repositioned to any cardinal direction by right-clicking the appropriate part of the wireframe overlay using a Gregtech wrench.
Solar steam boilers have an output face resembling that of singleblock machines. This output face (which cannot be on the top or bottom) will automatically output steam, and is the only valid steam output of a solar steam boiler. The output can be repositioned to any cardinal direction by right-clicking the appropriate part of the wireframe overlay using a Gregtech wrench. Solar steam boilers can accept water from any face, including the steam output. These boilers also have a special top face, which must have a clear line of sight to the sky in order for the machine to generate heat during sunny conditions; any solid block will obstruct this line of sight, but non-solid blocks (including pipes) do not obstruct it.
Singleblock electrical generators (such as steam turbines or combustion generators) have a special face for outputting power, which will be facing you when you place the machine. The output face has a circle in the middle of it to indicate that this face of the machine is the energy output; the appearance of the circle indicates the voltage of the machine. This output can be repositioned to any other face by right-clicking the appropriate part of the wireframe overlay using a Gregtech wrench. These generators also have a special identifying texture on one or more faces, but the identifying texture is purely visual and do not impede any I/O methods. You can input fuel into singleblock electrical generators through any face other than the electrical output.
Pipes, Wires, & Cables
Gregtech pipes (both item and fluid types) and wires (including cables) share the same placement and connection behaviour. Use a wrench to interact with pipes, or wire cutters to interact with wires and cables.
Pipes and wires generally do not automatically connect to adjacent blocks, including other pipes or wires. When you place a pipe or cable, it will connect automatically to whatever block you right click on to place the pipe or wire, as long as that block is something it can connect to (including other pipes or wires). Any other connections must be configured manually for each individual pipe or wire.
To toggle a connection between a pipe or wire and an adjacent block, right-click on the corresponding part of the pipe/wire's wireframe overlay while holding the appropriate tool. The wireframe will display a cross in any section that is currently connected.
For fluid pipes specifically, you can shift-right-click the wireframe of a pipe block to toggle whether the pipe can accept input from that direction (input is enabled from any connected face by default). This allows you to force fluid to only flow in one direction through a pipe, which is important for maximizing throughput.
Multiblocks & Other Special Cases
Multiblock controller blocks have a front face, which will be facing you when you place the controller; you can change which way a controller is facing by clicking the appropriate part of the wireframe using a Gregtech wrench. Multiblock controllers do not have I/O functionality. Some multiblock controllers can face any direction, while others can only face certain directions; this depends on the specific multiblock. Additionally, some multiblock controllers have a rotating arrow symbol on the part of the wireframe corresponding to the front face; by right-clicking this part of the wireframe with a wrench, you can rotate the front face itself; doing this rotates where the rest of the structure must be built. Like single-block machines, you can toggle a multiblock on or off by right-clicking the controller with a soft mallet.
Multiblock item buses (both input and output) only accept item transfer through the unique face. This does not apply to multiblock fluid hatches.
Transformers have one face with a circle corresponding to the voltage one tier higher than the transformer, and every other face has a different circle corresponding to the voltage of the same tier as the transformer. When you place a transformer, the face corresponding to the higher voltage will be facing you; you can use a Gregtech wrench to rotate the higher voltage face to any other face. When you place a transformer, it will default to Step Down mode, meaning that the higher voltage face is the input and the lower voltage faces are the outputs; you can reverse this behaviour by right-clicking the transformer with a soft mallet. The current behaviour (stepping up or stepping down) is shown in WAILA when you look at the transformer, as is the direction of the higher voltage face. A transformer does not need cables connected to every face, it just needs a connection to the higher voltage face and a connection to at least one of the lower voltage faces.
Chest buffers, item filters, type filters, regulators, super buffers, and recipe filters each have a unique output face, which can face any direction, and accept input from all other faces. Unlike most other cases, this output faces away from you when you place the block, and the direction that WAILA shows for these blocks is the opposite face to the output.
Item distributors have five output faces and a single input face. The input face will face toward you when placed, and WAILA shows the direction of the input face.
Covers Overview
Editor's note: this section will describe all forms of covers and what they do to blocks they are placed on.
Graphical User Interfaces
Editor's note: this section will describe how to understand and interact with all Gregtech GUIs as well as the multiblock recipe display in NEI (since that is different than actual multiblock GUIs).