Do you want to take your students to the Smithsonian or British Museum? Can’t afford a field trip to Washington D.C. or London? You can take them virtually to these amazing institutions through the following resources.

British Geological Survey

The GB3D Type Fossils Online project, funded by JISC, aims to develop a single database of the type specimens, held in British collections, of macrofossil species and subspecies found in the UK, including links to photographs (including ‘anaglyph’ stereo pairs) and a selection of 3D digital models.

The British Museum

The British Museum has made available some of their collection for 3D printing on Sketchfab. Your students can explore artifacts like: Red granite lion of Amenhotep III, Statue of Ramesses II, the ‘Younger Memnon’, and Portrait bust of Sir Robert Bruce Cotton.

Embodi3D

Embodi3D is the Internet’s first community dedicated to biomedical 3D printing. They have a file vault with over 80 downloadable files, tutorials on how to create medical models, how to choose the best scan to create a printed model, what printers are best for medical use, etc.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Artists come to the Met every day to be inspired, discovering visual and technical solutions in works from every corner of the world, ranging from ancient times to the present day. They might attend a program, sketch from objects, or create their own copies of original paintings, as they have done since 1872 when the Met first allowed artists to re-create works of art on display.

NASA

NASA has made available files from their collections. It’s now possible to see the Asteroid Vesta, explore the Curiosity Rover Path, and  create the NASA wrench.

National Institute of Health

3D printing technology is advancing at a rapid pace, but it is difficult to find or create 3D-printable models that are scientifically accurate or medically applicable. The National Institute of Health 3D Print Exchange provides models in formats that are readily compatible with 3D printers, and offers a unique set of tools create and share 3D-printable models related to biomedical science.

Smithsonian X 3D

Smithsonian X 3D launches a set of use cases which apply various 3D capture methods to iconic collection objects, as well as scientific missions.