How Arpelier turns a process flow into a 3D structure
Arpelier applies process steps in sequence to a grid-based structural model, preserves intermediate stages, and displays the result in 3D and cross-section. Structure Explorer reads that same result through Composition, Provenance, Change, and Connect, while editing an earlier step recalculates the downstream structures that depend on it.
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1. Define the process flow and conditions
Start with an ordered process flow. For each step, provide the conditions that describe the intended geometric operation, then select the relevant material and mask where the operation requires them. The process list becomes both the construction sequence and the timeline for inspecting the structure.
2. Build the structure in sequence
Arpelier represents the working volume on a grid and applies each supported operation to the current state. A deposition adds material, a masked etch removes selected material, and later steps continue from the result. The model is intended to make structural causality understandable; it is not a complete equipment recipe or a model of every physical mechanism.
3. Inspect intermediate structures
Each process stage can be explored with the 3D viewer. Steps and process time points (time dots) make it possible to move through intermediate results rather than seeing only a final structure. You can rotate and zoom the 3D view, inspect X, Y, or Z two-dimensional cross-sections, and select a range for a three-dimensional cutaway.
4. Explore the same structure through four questions
Structure Explorer switches among Composition, Provenance, Change, and Connect. A process time dot answers “which moment of the structure am I viewing?” while an exploration mode answers “how am I reading that structure?” A region selected in 3D or a 2D cross-section can carry into related units and process steps in another mode wherever the relationship can be resolved. See Structure Explorer for the detailed model.
5. Adjust how the structure is displayed
You can select, highlight, or make exploration units transparent to isolate parts of a dense structure. These controls change the viewer presentation; they do not change the calculated process structure itself.
6. Revise and recalculate downstream results
When you modify a process order or condition, affected later structures are recalculated and reflected in the view in real time. The time required is not fixed: it can vary with structural complexity and grid resolution.