Anatomy: machines as interactive cutaways

Describe a machine in one line and get back an interactive isometric wireframe cutaway on three.ws. Visitors can rotate it, step through a guided tour, explode it, cut it open, switch to x-ray and click any part to read what it does. Moving parts really move, and the physics is drawn with WebGL shaders.

The result is a permalink such as https://three.ws/anatomy/<id>. Share it as the answer. It works on desktop and phones, with no account needed to view it.

Two ways to build one

1. You write the spec (best quality, recommended)

You know the machine. Write the spec yourself and publish it.

1. Read reference.md. It is the full spec format: parts and shapes, motion, effects, flows, the tour and the quality bar. The server validates against exactly these rules.
2. Write one JSON object for the machine the user asked about. If they named a real machine (for example the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 on the A380), model that machine and its real proportions, stage counts and numbers. If they were vague, choose the most iconic real example and say which in subtitle.
3. Publish it:

curl -s -X POST https://three.ws/api/anatomy \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  --data-binary @- <<'JSON'
{ "action": "publish", "prompt": "<the user's request>", "spec": { ...your spec... } }
JSON

The response is { "design": { "id", "url", "title", "stats" }, "warnings": [] }. Give the user design.url. stats counts parts, moving instances, effects, flows and tour steps.

warnings lists anything the normalizer repaired, such as an unknown parent, an unknown focus id or a clamped value. The machine still renders. If a warning points at something that matters (a missing part, a broken hierarchy), fix the spec and publish again. Each publish gets a new permalink.

2. Ask three.ws to write it

When you cannot write the spec yourself, let the server's writer do it. This takes one to several minutes.

curl -s -X POST https://three.ws/api/anatomy \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{ "action": "generate", "prompt": "how a big airliner turbofan like the A380s makes thrust" }'

The response has the same { design, warnings } shape. Pass "stream": true to receive Server-Sent Events instead: stage, delta (the spec text as it is written), reset, then one done (or error). Visitors can also type a prompt straight into https://three.ws/anatomy and watch the machine assemble.

Errors

Reading an existing machine

• GET https://three.ws/api/anatomy?id=<uuid> returns { design } with the full spec. Start from it to make a variation.
• GET https://three.ws/api/anatomy?list=recent&q=<text> lists recent machines without their specs.

What makes a great one

• Accurate: real part names, proportions and figures, such as pressure ratios, temperatures and rpm. Describe a relationship rather than inventing a number.
• Complete: typically 25 to 90 parts plus repeats.
• Built as hierarchies: blades and discs sit under the shaft that turns them.
• Readable at a glance: glass casings and a view.section cutaway show the inside.
• A tour that teaches: it follows the physics in order (intake to exhaust, fuel to power) and focuses each step on the few parts that matter.