Visualize Skill: Interactive 3D Math & Science Visualizer
SkillWeb & browsingBuilds interactive, browser-based 3D Three.js visualizations of any mathematics or science concept as a single, self-contained HTML file. Takes a concept and a depth level (Simple, Intermediate, Advanced). Trigger on "ape visualize", "ape visualize math", "ape visualize science", "visualize math", "visualize science", "visualize concept", "ape simulate", or "/ape-visualize".
Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.
No other account needed.
Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.
Then ask your AI: use the Visualize Skill: Interactive 3D Math & Science Visualizer skill
What this skill tells your AI
The instructions your AI receives, as published by arpitbbhayani/ape-skills in ape-visualize/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.
Takes any concept from mathematics or science and creates an interactive, visually stunning, browser-based 3D visualization using Three.js, packaged as a single self-contained HTML file.
The visualization is grounded in real mathematical formulations and physical laws—not just decorative graphics, but a live, interactive simulation or geometric construction that users can rotate, zoom, tweak with sliders, and inspect in real time.
Inputs
The user provides:
- Concept: Any mathematics or science concept. For example:
- Math: Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors, 3D Linear Transformations, Gradient Descent on Surfaces, Curl & Divergence of Vector Fields, Riemann Surfaces, Möbius Strip & Topology, Fourier Epicycles in 3D, Lorenz Attractor & Chaos, Spherical Harmonics, Minimal Surfaces (Helicoid/Catenoid).
- Science: Lorentz Force, Gravitational Orbits & Precession, Double-Slit Wave Interference, Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution, VSEPR Molecular Geometry, Quantum Harmonic Oscillator, DNA Replication Fork.
- Depth: One of three simple depth levels (default to
Intermediateif not specified):Simple(Level 1 — Intuition & Big Picture)Intermediate(Level 2 — Mechanics & Equations)Advanced(Level 3 — Deep Dive & Rigorous Internals)
Regardless of the starting depth, every generated HTML document embeds an in-browser Depth Selector (Simple | Intermediate | Advanced) so the user can fluidly toggle between levels live.
The Three Depth Levels (Simple Words)
The depth determines both the visual representation and the level of mathematical/physical rigor exposed:
| Depth | Target Audience | Core Focus | Visual Elements (Math & Science) | Interactive Controls | Telemetry & HUD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Simple | Beginners, general audience, visual learners | Big-picture intuition & visual metaphors. What does it look like? What is the main effect? | Math: Deforming shapes, flowing streamlines, animated paths, color gradients.Science: Macro objects, smooth orbits, glowing wavefronts. No overwhelming formulas. | Play / Pause, Speed slider, 1–2 intuitive dials ("Morph", "Stretch", "Strength", "More / Less", scenario presets). | "What's happening?" card in plain English explaining the core takeaway and visual intuition. |
Intermediate | Undergraduates, engineers, technical learners | How it works mechanically — governing rules, vectors, coordinates, and equations. | Math: Basis vectors ($\mathbf{\hat{i}}, \mathbf{\hat{j}}, \mathbf{\hat{k}}$), tangent planes, 3D vector arrow grids, coordinate axes, parameter curves.Science: Force/velocity arrows, field lines, particle trails, component breakdowns. | Sliders with real variables and units (matrix components $a_{ij}$, surface curvature $k$, mass $m$, charge $q$, frequency $\omega$). | Live numerical telemetry (current coordinates, matrix determinant $\det(A)$, energy, flux) + live 2D canvas sparkline. Typeset formula. |
Advanced | Researchers, math/physics majors, deep divers | Rigorous math & deep mechanics — differential equations, phase space, edge cases. | Math: Invariant eigenvector axes, differential forms, phase portraits ($\dot{x}$ vs $x$ or complex plane), branch cuts, geodesic curvature.Science: Runge-Kutta trajectories, Hamiltonian drift, quantum probability clouds, perturbation indicators. | Precision mathematical dials (eigenvalue parameter $\lambda$, perturbation $\epsilon$, integration step $\Delta t$, non-linear coupling, boundary conditions). | Real-time phase-space canvas, conservation/drift monitor ($\Delta E / E_0$, $\det(A)$ conservation), matrix/tensor readout, raycaster probe on click. |
Output Requirements
Always output a single, self-contained HTML file (<concept>-visualization.html) that works immediately upon opening in any web browser without any local server or build tools needed.
Architecture of the HTML File
- Zero build step & Zero CORS: Loads Three.js and OrbitControls via reliable CDN
<script>tags using standard UMD format:<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/three.js/r128/three.min.js"></script> <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/three@0.128.0/examples/js/controls/OrbitControls.js"></script> - Modern Scientific & Mathematical Dark UI: Clean OLED-dark glassmorphic design (
#090a0fbackground, frosted glass panels withbackdrop-filter: blur(14px), subtle neon accents: Cyan#00f0ff, Mint#00ff9d, Amber#ffb700, Coral#ff3366, Violet#b388ff). - HUD Components:
- Header Bar: Concept title, domain badge (
MATHEMATICS,PHYSICS, etc.), and the 3-level Depth Switcher (Simple|Intermediate|Advanced). - Main 3D Viewport: Responsive Three.js canvas with smooth orbit, pan, and zoom (
THREE.OrbitControlswithenableDamping = true). - Controls Panel (floating glass card):
- Timeline / Animation: Play / Pause, Reset, Speed slider (0.1x to 3x).
- Concept parameters tailored to the active depth.
- Visual toggles: Coordinate Grid, Basis / Field Vectors, Trails / Curves, Labels, Tangent / Normal indicators.
- Presets dropdown (e.g. "Identity", "Shear", "Pure Rotation", "Degenerate / Singular" for math; "Default", "Resonance", "Chaos" for science).
- Live Telemetry & Graph Panel:
- Live mathematical/physical readouts (determinant, eigenvalues, coordinates, velocity, energy).
- Real-time 2D Canvas plot (sparkline, phase portrait, or function curve).
- Explanation & Equation Card:
- Intuition: Plain English summary of what is visible.
- Governing Equation: Beautifully typeset formula (e.g. $A \mathbf{v} = \lambda \mathbf{v}$, or $\nabla \times \mathbf{F}$, or $\mathbf{F} = q(\mathbf{E} + \mathbf{v} \times \mathbf{B})$).
- Interactive Probe: Raycaster to click/hover 3D elements and inspect their mathematical state.
- Header Bar: Concept title, domain badge (
Domain Coverage: Mathematics & Science
1. Pure & Applied Mathematics
-
Linear Algebra:
- Matrix Transformations: Visualizing $T(\mathbf{x}) = A \mathbf{x}$ acting on a unit cube or unit sphere.
- Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors: Visualizing lines that do not change direction under transformation, only stretch by $\lambda$.
- Determinant: Geometric interpretation as the signed volume scaling factor of parallelpipeds.
- Singular Value Decomposition (SVD): Factoring $A = U \Sigma V^T$ as Rotation $\to$ Scaling $\to$ Rotation.
- Quadratic Forms & Conic Sections: Visualizing $\mathbf{x}^T A \mathbf{x} = c$ ellipsoids, hyperboloids, and paraboloids.
-
Multivariable Calculus & Differential Geometry:
- 3D Scalar Surfaces & Tangent Planes: $z = f(x, y)$ with tangent plane and normal vector $\mathbf{n} = \langle -f_x, -f_y, 1 \rangle$.
- Gradient Descent: A particle rolling down the steepest descent path $-\nabla f(x, y)$ on a terrain.
- Vector Fields, Divergence & Curl: 3D arrow fields with micro-paddle wheels showing curl ($\nabla \times \mathbf{F}$) and flux expanding from sources showing divergence ($\nabla \cdot \mathbf{F}$).
- Minimal Surfaces: Catenoid, Helicoid, and Enneper's surface (surfaces with zero mean curvature $H = 0$).
- Curvature: Gaussian curvature $K = \kappa_1 \kappa_2$ and principal curvature directions on 3D manifolds.
-
Complex Analysis & Topology:
- Riemann Surfaces: Multi-sheeted geometric representations of multi-valued complex functions ($w = \sqrt{z}$, $w = \ln z$).
- Conformal Mappings: Grid lines in the complex plane mapped by $f(z) = z^2$ or $f(z) = e^z$, proving angle preservation.
- Möbius Strip & Klein Bottle: Non-orientable surfaces, normal vector traversal returning flipped.
- Torus Knots & Stereographic Projections: Projecting 4D spheres / Clifford Torus down to 3D space.
-
Dynamical Systems & Chaos:
- Lorenz Attractor: Butterfly-shaped strange attractor showing sensitive dependence on initial conditions.
- Phase-Space Portraits: Plotting $(\theta, \dot{\theta})$ for non-linear pendulums, limit cycles, and strange attractors.
- 3D Fourier Epicycles: Epicyclic rotating phasor arms in 3D tracing arbitrary complex curves or knots.
2. Physical & Natural Sciences
-
Physics:
- Electromagnetism: Lorentz force ($q(\mathbf{E} + \mathbf{v} \times \mathbf{B})$), cyclotron motion, magnetic dipoles, Biot-Savart induction.
- Classical & Celestial Mechanics: Keplerian planetary orbits, Lagrange points ($L_1-L_5$), chaotic 3-body gravitational interactions.
- Wave Mechanics & Optics: Wavefront superposition, double-slit interference, thin-film diffraction, Snell's law refraction.
- Thermodynamics: Maxwell-Boltzmann velocity distribution of colliding particles, Brownian motion.
- Quantum Mechanics: Wave packet dispersion, harmonic oscillator probability density, spin precession in $B$-fields.
-
Chemistry & Molecular Biology:
- VSEPR Theory: 3D electron pair repulsion geometries (linear, tetrahedral, octahedral, trigonal bipyramidal).
- Crystal Lattices: Unit cells (FCC, BCC, Simple Cubic, Diamond) with atom packing fractions.
- DNA & Cellular Dynamics: Double-helix transcription fork, ion gradients in action potential propagation.
Step-by-Step Generation Workflow
When the user requests a visualization:
Step 1: Mathematical & Scientific Decomposition
- Parse the concept and target depth (
Simple,Intermediate, orAdvanced). - Identify the core mathematical/physical invariants:
- For Math: Invariant axes (eigenvectors), volume scaling ($\det A$), conservation of topological genus, orthogonality, gradient direction.
- For Science: Conservation of energy/momentum, flux continuity, wave phase relationships.
- Design how the 3 depth levels map to this concept:
Simple: Pure visual intuition, intuitive sliders, macro visual takeaway.Intermediate: Explicit equations, vector arrows, coordinate grid, real mathematical variables.Advanced: Differential equations, phase portraits, invariant monitors, numerical diagnostics.
Step 2: Implement the Three.js Geometry & Simulation
- Mathematical Representation:
- For surfaces: Use
THREE.ParametricGeometryor dynamically updatedTHREE.PlaneGeometrywith vertex height displacement. - For vector fields: Use
THREE.InstancedMeshwith arrow geometries or arrays ofTHREE.ArrowHelperfor efficiency. - For curves & trajectories: Use dynamic
THREE.BufferGeometrywith pre-allocated array buffers.
- For surfaces: Use
- Animation / Numerical Update Loop:
- Discrete updates per frame with clamped delta time (
Math.min(clock.getDelta(), 0.05)). - Pre-allocate scratch vectors (
const _v1 = new THREE.Vector3()) outside the render loop to prevent garbage collection stutter.
- Discrete updates per frame with clamped delta time (
Step 3: Wire Up Reactive Controls & HUD
- Connect sliders to mathematical/physical state variables without recreating the 3D scene.
- Provide presets so users can jump to famous cases (e.g. for linear algebra: Shear, Reflection, Rotation, Projection / Singular).
- Connect the live 2D canvas to plot real-time telemetry (sparkline of coordinates or phase-space trajectory).
- Implement the raycaster to allow clicking on 3D elements to inspect local values.
Step 4: Write & Deliver the Single HTML File
Write the complete, self-contained HTML file directly to the workspace or artifact directory, ready to be double-clicked and viewed in any browser.
Signals
- GitHub stars
- 43
- Forks
- 3
- Last commit
- Sep 2026
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ape-visualize- Source
- github.com/arpitbbhayani/ape-skills