Print Your Own Trilobite - Database Of Printable 3D Fossils Now Online

[Oxytropidoceras]

A Database of 3D Fossils, Ready for You to

Explore and Print (What's better than looking

a picture of an ancient trilobite? Printing an

ancient trilobite.) The Atlantic, August 30, 2013

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/08/the-worlds-first-online-collection-of-3d-fossils/279044/

GB3D Type Fossils Online -

http://www.3d-fossils.ac.uk/home.html

JISC: GB/3D type fossils online

http://gb3dtypefossils.blogspot.com/2013/08/launching-gb3d-fossil-types-virtual.html

Calymene neotuberculata ludicra Siveter, 1996

http://www.3d-fossils.ac.uk/scanView.cfm?typSampleId=10000135&filePath=docs/OBJ/NMW/73_28G_3a/73_28G_3a.obj

Yours,

Paul H.

Edited August 27, 2013 by Oxytropidoceras

[Regg Cato]

A few authors have done this as online supplementary material (having a 3D model to work with is definitely more valuable than pictures, and it's made my work a lot easier); I say it's very useful and a great idea; there should be more of this.

[painshill]

3D printers are already dropping in price. So too are scanners, (although the resolution isn't yet great for home users) so you can actually scan your own specimens. This is about to reach the market... but I'll bet it won't be too many years before high-res models are available even more cheaply:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2402132/The-gift-keeps-giving--900-scanner-creates-3D-printing-designs-sale--just-time-Christmas.html