A 3D grow box you can actually touch

What you can do in the demo

• Drag to rotate the box, scroll or pinch to zoom; the blue frame marks the front (the door).
• Light: the PPFD cloud in 3D with min, average, max and uniformity across the canopy, and a 2D top view with a height slider.
• Ventilation: particles show where air moves (blue) and where it stalls (red), with stagnation %, exhaust and intake in m³/h and an overall verdict.
• Light measurements: the route of points where a PPFD meter reading would calibrate the map.
• The Try it panel: switch the exhaust and the clip fan on and off, change exhaust speed and the clip fan's aim, dim the LED or raise and lower it.
• Optimize ventilation: the app's free solver proposes per-fan changes and shows the before/after; apply them and watch the map update.

How the light map is calculated

Each fixture is modelled as a Lambertian source, I(θ) = I₀ · cosᵐ(θ), where the exponent m comes from the beam angle, plus light mirrored by the walls, ceiling and floor with material-specific reflectance: mylar 0.94, white 0.80, tracing paper 0.35, black 0.05, glass 0.15. The output is a 3D PPFD field; the canopy slice gives the min, average, max and uniformity shown under the map.

In your own box, PPFD readings from a meter calibrate this field through inverse-distance-weighted interpolation in logarithmic space, so the map bends toward what you actually measured. Calibration with your own readings is part of Pro; the uncalibrated model is free.

How the airflow is modelled

Every fan is a jet with its own position, direction, diameter, spread angle and airflow at the chosen speed. An exhaust fan with a connected carbon filter pulls air in at the filter, not at the fan, and the filter's resistance reduces the flow. Passive intake openings get the air the exhaust pulls out of the box, split by their area. The jets are added up into one 3D vector field.

Points where the flow is weaker than a fixed threshold count as stagnant; the stagnation percentage is the share of the box volume below it. A plant whose canopy sits in a strong direct stream gets a direct-blast warning — it dries and damages leaves. The verdict also checks air changes per hour, intake vs exhaust and filter resistance.

Optimize ventilation runs a local deterministic solver — no AI, no credits — that searches fan speeds and directions for less stagnation, no direct blast and a balanced intake and exhaust.

What the numbers mean

• Min / Avg / Max PPFD: light at canopy height across the box, in µmol/m²/s. Uniformity: how close the weakest spots are to the average.
• Stagnation: share of the box volume with almost no air movement. Mould and pests prefer those pockets.
• Exhaust / Intake, m³/h: how much air leaves and enters at the current speeds; air changes per hour are in the verdict.
• Direct blast: a plant sits in a fan's or opening's main stream.

In your own box

In the app you enter your real box size, lamps (or boosters), fans, filters and intake openings once; plants are placed on the map from their own cards with their height and width. The same map then shows your box. You can check the airflow model against reality with Airflow Scan in GrowScope Lab, which reads leaf movement from the phone camera.

Honest limits

• It is a fast physical model, not a CFD simulation or a measurement. Use it to compare layouts and spot problems; check the important numbers with a PPFD meter.
• GrowScope does not control any equipment. Every change is made by you on your own fans and lamps.
• AI equipment placement and sharing a 3D link are switched off in this demo because they need an account.

Questions

Map your own box

Enter your box, lamps and fans once and get the same 3D light and airflow map for your setup — free, no email.

Open GrowScope

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