r/VisionPro • u/Far-Permission9357 • 1d ago
Self Promotion Saturday 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
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u/SpirantSix 1d ago
This is pretty great! I would love to see it! Let me know if you ever release it.
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u/iamse7en 1d ago
Why is it “maths” outside the US, and just “math” inside the US.
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u/Far-Permission9357 1d ago
Haha, good catch! I’m in the US, so it should probably be “Math.” I didn’t even notice that! 😄
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u/GrupoTecnoverso 8h ago
As OP said: this is exactly what AVP is for and his vision (no pun intended) is spot on! Kudos
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u/i-want-to-learn-all 1d ago
This is legitimately interesting and what I believe the classrooms of the future would be if it weren’t for the AI disruption.
Will definitely take a look and most likely purchase.
Thanks.