I built a visionOS app that renders maths, molecules and planets as objects you can walk around — 112 of them, at true scale
Hey everyone! I wanted to share something I’ve been working on for the Vision Pro.
Back in the 1800s, universities had these things called **“model rooms”** — basically rooms full of plaster math models and ball-and-stick molecule models sitting on shelves. The idea was that some shapes just make more sense when you can walk around them and look at them from every angle.
I got a Vision Pro and immediately thought: *wait… isn’t this exactly what it’s good for?* 😄
So I built one.
It’s called **ModelRoom**, and it currently has **112 objects** across math, chemistry, and space.
**📐 Math shelf — 41 models**
There are 41 curves and surfaces floating inside coordinate boxes, with dotted projections onto the three walls.
One of my favorites is **Viviani’s curve**. From a single 3D curve, its three projections are a circle, a parabola, and a figure-eight. Seeing all three at the same time is pretty wild — and it's the kind of thing that's just really hard to appreciate on a piece of paper.
There’s also a Klein bottle, Möbius strip, Boy’s surface, the Lorenz attractor doing its butterfly thing, and a bunch of other weird/fun shapes.
**🧪 Chemistry shelf — 50 molecules**
These are probably the most fun to just pick up and rotate.
Cyclohexane in both chair and boat conformations. Diamond right next to graphite — same atoms, completely different arrangement. Cisplatin next to transplatin — same formula, but one is a cancer drug and the other isn't.
Being able to literally pick these things up and turn them around makes a surprisingly big difference.
**🌍 Space shelf — 9 planets & moons**
You can actually crack the planets/moons open along the equator and look inside.
Jupiter's moons keep their real **1:2:4 orbital resonance**, and Saturn's rings include the Cassini Division in the right place, with Saturn's shadow falling across the rings.
One thing I was pretty strict about: **everything is at true scale whenever possible.**
Earth's crust is the ridiculously thin hairline it actually is, rather than some giant decorative layer. Bond lengths are based on published measurements.
And when something *had* to be scaled up to be visible — mostly moon orbits — the app tells you right on the screen. I figured that was the least I could do.
There are **40 completely free objects** to try, and every section starts with a free one, so you can explore everything without immediately running into a wall of locked content.
The full unlock is a **one-time $7.99 purchase**, no subscription. And anything I add later is included.
Honestly, I'd love to hear what people think should be added.
I've got a list of roughly 100 more things I'd like to build, but I don't have particularly strong opinions about the order. 😄
If there's something you've always wanted to be able to **walk around, pick up, and look at from every angle**, tell me. I might just build it.
**App: Model Room** [ModelRoom on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/model-room/id6798520607?utm_source=chatgpt.com)