The next step in the construction of the Herodian Temple Mount real-time simulation model was to build a preliminary massing model of the complex. Data from both a detailed map of modern Jerusalem and the Israel Antiquities Authority's excavation plan served to establish the positions of the platform, Huldah Gates Street, and the northern edge of Robinson's Arch. This early version of the model was very crude compared to the finished product. The two images below show the same view, separated by almost two years of work. The major structures are represented in the preliminary massing view, but are not yet detailed to Ronny Reich's reconstruction specifications.

As work on the model progressed, the preliminary massing model was broken into smaller, individual computer files each containing a major building or structural element. The complexity of these structures often required further subdividing the files. The finished model that is on display in the interactive classroom at the Ethan and Marla Davidson Center is comprised of over 200 individual computer files, organized in a branching structure under one master file. The term for this branching structure is hierarchy, and applies both to the broad file system and the organization of the geometry within the individual model files.