“For me, it’s easier to sculpt in 3D than in ‘real’ sculpting, but the downside is that you cannot really hold them.” He thinks sculpting like this is a lot of fun and that it is like real-life sculpting but more forgiving – if a mistake is made, it is easy to fix. Timelapse of the sculpting of the platypus skull. By using the different angles he sculpted the model as accurately as he could. He created a sphere in ZBrush to state and referenced various photos of platypus skulls, which he admits are not the easiest to find, especially of the bottom of the skull. For this one, since he has a strong interest in sculpting, Thomas wanted to create something from the very beginning and practice his interpretation from 2D to 3D. He previously used other techniques to create 3D sculpts, such as taking an existing 3D scan and sculpting over it. So he opened ZBrush, started with a sphere, and after meticulously detailing the intricate nooks and crannies based off photos of a platypus skull, came up with a 3D sculpt that he was proud of. Yet sculpting from scratch is a whole ‘nother ball game that he wanted to try out. Montreal-based Thomas Dotheij is a 3D artist and has been sculpting his whole adult life – he has even made a career from that as a visual effects technical director. Model printed at about six times life-size.Mastering the art of 3D sculpting is no easy feat, particularly when it comes to creating something from nothing. Model printed at about twice life-size.Ī printout of the cranial endocast of the specimen shown on the left. 3D printouts of digital infillings of these cavities based on CT data thus provide a non-destructive means to study the shape of the brain.Ī 3D printout of Monodelphis domestica, the gray short-tailed opossum. The shape of the endocast of the cranial cavity of many animals, especially mammals and birds, closely conforms to the shape of the brain. The 3d printout on the left was used to make a mold, from which bronze casts like this one were made.Ĭasts of the interior cavities of objects, called endocasts, can also be printed as 3D models. Model printed about three times life-size. Molds can be created from 3D printouts instead of the actual specimens, reducing the possibility of damage.Ī 3D printout of Lanthanotus borneensis, the earless "monitor" lizard from Borneo. The foot bone's position in the egg is indicated by the arrow.ģD printouts can be useful when casting delicate or rare specimens. Amy Balanoff, a former paleontology graduate student at The University of Texas, removes a model from the 3D printer.Ī life-sized printout of the bottom of the elephant bird egg containing the embryonic remains, along with a scaled-up printout of an isolated foot bone. This technique allowed her to study the skeleton without having to crack the egg.ĭr. Using CT scan data, Amy digitally isolated each element of the skeleton, then rendered them as both life-sized and enlarged 3D physical models. Amy was working on reconstructing and describing the embryo of an extinct elephant bird still encased in its egg. Amy Balanoff, a former paleontology graduate student in The University of Texas Department of Geological Sciences. Click here for a list of DigiMorph taxa for which printable STL files can be downloaded.Īmong those who have used this resource is Dr. As this new technology becomes more common, this will allow researchers and students improved access to rare and unique specimens. The STL data files used to generate these 3D printouts can be distributed over the internet, giving anyone who has a 3D printer the data necessary to generate models. Casts of internal features normally hidden from external view - such as the cranial cavity and inner ear canals and labyrinths - can also be printed, presenting unique objects for study and research. This technology not only lets us make casts of the many rare specimens that we scan, but also allows us to scale these models up or down - so that detailed features on a tiny specimen can be rendered large enough to be seen without the aid of a microscope. The rapid prototyping printer uses a thermoplastic material, deposited layer-by-layer by an inkjet-like printer head, to carefully build a model. The University of Texas High-Resolution X-ray CT Facility is able to print its scans as 3D models! Using our 3D Systems ThermoJet solid object printer, we can transform 3D renderings based on our digital CT data into physical objects.
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