Chemists and computer scientists are using a special facility at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology to scale molecules up for people-sized interactions. Using chemical data, NIST software, special eyewear, and floor-to-ceiling display screens, they create giant 3D molecules that move and whose behavior can be seen and understood in minutes. The 3D facility has been used to study 'smart' gels, inexpensive material that expands or contract in response to external stimuli. Applications may include medical, exotic foods, cosmetics or sensors. But a better understanding of the molecular behavior of the gels is needed before before they can be optimised. Shake gels are mixtures of clays and polymers that firm up into gels when shaken, and then gradually relax again to liquids. The visualization facility helped scientists see that it is the polymer's oxygen atoms, not the hydrogen atoms as previously thought, that attach to the clay. Theoretical calculations also show that water binds to the clay surfaces in a perpendicular arrangement. This may help create the firmness of the gel. The study technique may have value in other material analysis situations.