Kit of parts. The kit of parts application is an architectural
application in which structures are built from a collection of a small number
of simple parts - for example walls, boards, windows, etc. These parts snap
together in intelligent ways, allowing quick prototyping of archetechtural
ideas.
Site planning. The workbench is an ideal environment for site
planning. When constructing a new building, architects build scale models of
the new construction as a preview of their design. These models can be
time-consuming to build, and are difficult to change once complete. A virtual
model derived from CAD plans for the new building can easily be displayed on
the workbench, and changes as the design changes. Further, the architect can
more easily investigate other aspects of the new design. For example, new
materials can easily be applied to the construction to see how it looks, or
lighting can be varied to see how the site looks at different times of day.
Detailed designs. When a new site is being constructed, often several
contractors collaborate on various aspects of the construction. A virtual
model of a piece of the design can be displayed on the workbench for the
collaborators to discuss. For example, in the picture to the left, a section
of a building's roof that has been interactively assembled is
displayed. Users can interactively disassemble the roof to examine its
various parts.
Virtual Windtunnel. In cooperation with NASA, we have ported their
Virtual Windtunnel software to the workbench platform. The Virtual Windtunnel
allows users to interactively explore an CFD dataset around an object using a
variety of visualization tools, including particles, streamlines, and
isosurfaces. NASA has a
web
page describing the Virtual Windtunnel in more detail.
Semiconductors. We have used the Workbench to visualize
semiconductors. Pictured at the right is one cell from a static RAM Chip.
Using the workbench, researchers and chip designers can examine the structure
of the cell by interactively moving the layers by hand.
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Workbench