Stella

Stella, a computer program available in three versions (Great Stella,Small Stella and Stella4D), was created by Robert Webb of Australia. The programs contain a large library of polyhedra which can be manipulated and altered in various ways.

Stella provides a configurable workspace comprising several panels. Once a model has been selected from the range available, different views of it may be displayed in each panel. These views can also include measurements, symmetries and unfolded nets. A variety of operations may be performed on any polyhedron. In 3D these include: Stellation, faceting, augmentation, excavation, drilling and dualising. Other features include spring network relaxation, generation of the convex hull, and generation of cupolaic blends and related figures.

Education and research are most exciting when they move out of the lecture hall and library and provide opportunity to create, experience, and see. STELLA^® offers a practical way to dynamically visualize and communicate how complex systems and ideas really work.

Whether they are first-time or experienced modelers, teachers, students, and researchers use STELLA to explore and answer endless questions like:

• How does climate change influence an ecosystem over time?
• Would Hamlet’s fate have changed if he’d killed Claudius earlier?
• How do oil prices respond to shocks in supply and/or demand?
• What will happen when the ozone layer is gone?
• How do basic macroeconomic principles affect income and consumption?

The Gold Standard

Easy-to-use, STELLA models provide endless opportunities to explore by asking "what if," and watching what happens, inspiring the exciting ah-ha moments of learning. Thousands of educators and researchers have made STELLA the gold standard; using it to study everything from economics to physics, literature to calculus, chemistry to public policy. K-12, college, and research communities have all recognized STELLA’s unique ability to stimulate learning. Shared Learning You know that your students have learned when they can, in turn, explain. STELLA models allow you to communicate how a system works – what goes in, how the system is impacted, what are the outcomes. STELLA supports diverse learning styles with a wide range of storytelling features. Diagrams, charts, and animation help visual learners discover relationships between variables in an equation. Verbal learners might surround visual models with words or attach documents to explain the impact of a new environmental policy.   Use STELLA to: Simulate a system over time Jump the gap between theory and the real world Enable students to creatively change systems Teach students to look for relationships – see the Big Picture Clearly communicate system inputs and outputs and demonstrate outcomes Key Features Mapping and Modeling • Intuitive icon-based graphical interface simplifies model building Click to Enlarge Screenshot  Modeling helps student understand systems like sustainable shrimping. • Stock and Flow diagrams support the common language of Systems Thinking and provide insight into how systems work • Enhanced stock types enable discrete and continuous processes with support for queues, ovens, and enhanced conveyors • Causal Loop Diagrams present overall causal relationships • Model equations are automatically generated and made accessible beneath the model layer • Built-in functions facilitate mathematical, statistical, and logical operations • Multi-dimensional arrays simply represent repeated model structure • Modules support multi-level, hierarchical model structures that can serve as “building blocks” for model construction • XML-based model files support the new industry standard for common interchange of system dynamics models Simulation and Analysis • Simulations "run" systems over time • Sensitivity analysis reveals key leverage points and optimal conditions • Partial model simulations focus analysis on specific sectors or modules of the model • Results presented as graphs, tables, animations, QuickTime movies, and files • Data Manager archives and recalls simulation run data stored in a separate SQLite database file • Dynamic data import/export links to Microsoft® Excel or CSV files Communication • Flight simulators and dashboards describe model components and facilitate manipulation Click to Enlarge Screenshot  Dashboards bridge the gap between theory and reality. • Input devices include knobs, sliders, switches, and buttons • Output devices highlight outcomes with warning flashers, text, graphs, tables, and reports • Storytelling supports step-by-step model unveiling • Causal Loop Diagrams present dominant feedback loops within structure • Export for NetSim supports publishing and sharing model over the web using isee NetSim add-on software • isee Runtime options support full-screen presentation of models so they can be easily shared or commercially distributed • Multimedia support for graphics, movies, sounds, and text messages • Model security features allow locking or password protection