Smithsonian Releases 3D Models of Artifacts 47
plover writes "The Seattle Times reports, 'The Smithsonian Institution is launching a new 3D scanning and printing initiative to make more of its massive collection accessible to schools, researchers and the public worldwide. A small team has begun creating 3D models of some key objects representing the breadth of the collection at the world's largest museum complex. Some of the first 3D scans include the Wright brothers' first airplane, Amelia Earhart's flight suit, casts of President Abraham Lincoln's face during the Civil War and a Revolutionary War gunboat. Less familiar objects include a former slave's horn, a missionary's gun from the 1800s and a woolly mammoth fossil from the Ice Age. They are pieces of history some people may hear about but rarely see or touch.' So far they have posted 20 models, with the promise of many more to come."
They even have a model supernova remnant.
"A former slave's horn" (Score:3, Funny)
Well, that's a fairly sophisticated if culturally aware euphemism.
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You forgot "Brought to you by Autodesk".
I have no idea why Idiocracy came to mind when looking at those ads everywhere on the site...
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Time for slivers... (Score:4, Funny)
I want to print a 3D model of Washington's wooden teeth and put them in my RealDoll!
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Play DOTT.
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Actually, his teeth were not made of wood. His dentures were made of gold, hippopotamus ivory, lead, and human and animal teeth (including horse and donkey teeth).
Check out this link for more info including a pic of them: George Washington's teeth not wooden - Technology & science - Science | NBC News [nbcnews.com]
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The interesting bit is the possibility of schools being able to get their hands on cheap scale models of some of these things. Getting a child interested in science and history makes the learning process go a lot more smoothly than just cramming a bunch of facts down their throat. Even viewing the 3d models on the computer is actually fairly interesting. Rotating around the mold of Lincoln's face is very much different than just "looking at a picture". The same for things like the Wright brothers' plane
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Well, its better than looking at a simple picture. Most people will never make it to DC to see the original, protected behind glass. Even fewer get to physically touch it.
Yawn. (Score:2, Insightful)
Wake me up when they've scanned the original Enterprise.
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Wake me up when they've scanned the original Enterprise.
That would be quite a feat, considering that that one was burned in 1777 [wikipedia.org] to prevent it's capture by the British.
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History is funny like that. The George renamed the Enterprise. A whole slew of ships named after that captured ship. Some may say stolen. It was most cerainly an Enterprising appropriation :)
I want the secrets (Score:2)
I hear they have bones of a long-dead race of giants with multiple rows of teeth and stuff.
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According to reports, there were over 18,000 mummies sent to the Smithsonian, one a guy in a full set of copper armor with a copper crown. The Smithsonian claimed that they don't know what happened to them when sent inquiries.
Numerous people in the 1800s started claiming that they should not send anything else to the institute lest they become "lost", but of course these city councilmen, archeologists, engineers, etc.. were just "crazy conspiracy theories".
I think they should allow volunteers to start digg
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How many American Indian artifacts are collecting dust? And those don't require any conspiracy theories to determine that they have a stash.
They apparently have many in the facility in Suitland, MD, which occasionally does do tours, usually in conjunction with "____ history month" - for example they just did one for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Oh my... (Score:1)
Just hope none of the scanned historical artifacts happen to be guns or we're up for another round of hysteria.
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Re: Reading comprehension. (Score:2)
3D printed guns don't kill people, 3D printing puns kill people.
bad license (Score:4, Insightful)
Hopefully those models aren't covered under their site's general license (bans commercial use), as it would be awesome to be able to use these in games.
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(long story short: shattering a holy statue, or decapitating buddah is going to piss some people off).
Of sure, but it's OK to show off Abe Lincoln's hollowed out head...
http://3d.si.edu/explorer?modelid=27 [si.edu]
even after his discisive intervention at the Battle of the Smithsonian... on the other hand he left Ben Stiller alive so now I'm conflicted...
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No need to worry about how free it is. Autodesk did it.
"a missionary's gun from the 1800s" (Score:2)
These days, just bringing the STL file to school might get you expelled.
All kinds of awesome (Score:2)
Try some of the links from the article.
The system is really cool - you can rotate and view a mastodon skeleton (or supernova model) from any angle, it works in the browser, and it's really fast (on my machine, at least).
You can change the material color/texture, change the lighting properties & angle, take a slice of the 3-d image(!), put down a measuring tape, add annotations, then generate a link to that image.
I couldn't find a way to download the model, but you can file->save the web page, and it
Even more awesome (Score:2)
Okay, it's even more awesome.
On the downloads page [si.edu] you can download the models in various forms - point cloud, mesh, and so on. Different formats, depending on the method used to get the model data (cat scan, laser scan, photographic, &c).
They mention in the about page [si.edu] that it would take 247 years of work 24/7 to capture the entire collection.
We could hire 247 people and get the entire collection online in 3 years (8 hour shifts). At $50,000 per person, that's about $13 million per year(*). Compare to t
Awesome news! (Score:1)
I've always wanted to be able to virtually browse exhibits like this in 3D with full historic data on the side like this. This is awesome! Way to go Smithsonian!
Can we import these into video games? (Score:2)
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Actually . . . if we could convince the game industry that it would be a good idea . . . then maybe they could provide the funding for it . . . ?
Image Grand Theft Auto, with a character with "President Abraham Lincoln's face during the Civil War" stealing "a woolly mammoth fossil from the Ice Age"!
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HA! YOU FOOLS! (Score:1)
What?
What do you mean its free to get in to their museums!?
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I'm going to use my 3D printer to print out my OWN artifacts and have my OWN Smithsonian and collect all that delicious entrance fee money...
With blackjack? And hookers [youtube.com]?
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But wait 100 years and see what happens when someone wants to recreate a 2013 -era Nike shoe.
"a missionary's gun from the 1800s" (Score:2)
Back then it was fire, brimstone, and buckshot.
Any nice guns in the Smithsonian? (Score:2)
Just saying...
Next Halloween... (Score:2)
You just know next Halloween everybody with a 3D printer is going to be a very accurate Abraham Lincoln.
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New face for anonymous?
Naw... Every gawddamn used car dealer will be 'honest Abe' for his gawddamn awful, local, basic-cable commercial.