I saw this story on building supercarriers (huge aircraft carriers) in Popular Mechanics; the amazing part is how the designers get to see what's going to happen now:

The last time American engineers designed a carrier from scratch, in the 1960s, they drew the ship in ink and built full-scale wooden models to prove their designs. Then, the construction-yard workers had to figure out how to put the ship together. Things work a little differently in 2009. Now, engineers and foremen can wander around a mockup of the ship without wearing helmets or boots. All they have to do is slip on chunky black glasses, stare at a screen and step inside the ship's CAD plan.

I wonder how much modern construction is done that way now?