[extropy-chat] visualizing nanoscale

[Hal Finney]

Eugen writes:
> A suggestion was to roll your own. A couple of days ago
> I came upon this nice semilog-step flash visualization:
>
>         http://cellsalive.com/howbig.htm
>
> I stole it, and attempted to add a couple of steps, to
> bring it down to the nanoscale. After two hours (and
> lots of growling) I got this:
>
>         http://moleculardevices.org/howbig.htm

I love this stuff!  It would be nice though to see more than just a
nanotech part, but to have a larger structure that was made out of parts.
To do that it would probably be necessary to bypass modeling the whole
thing as atoms, but instead to use larger shapes, with a texture map to
represent the bumpiness of the surface.

Imagine if you could see a respirocyte or a nanocomputer, at a variety
of scales, with some cutaway views to show the inner workings.  Put one
of those side by side with a virus or cell and you'd have a cool picture.

Hal