Explore Historical Artifacts Through 3D Modeling

My journey in learning how to 3D print started with downloading a file from Thingiverse so I could print in the Maker Lab right away.

These days there are more repositories and files online. People like you and me are remaking our favorite characters to share online, and museums are sharing scans of historical artifacts.

I picked out a few that are mind-boggling in the way they bring history and science to life digitally.

• Explore the North frieze of the Parthenon from the British Museum, and learn about what was at the Parthenon in the History Research Center.
• Examine a fragum unedo from the Western Australian Museum, and figure out where they live on the Encyclopedia of Life.
• Skim the Rosetta Stone from the British Museum, and how it unlocked hieroglyphic writing for researchers on the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
• Create a TinkerCad account and check out the Shapes Menu for Smithsonian models of a triceratops skull and Carl Hall's boot from The Wiz.

Or you can check out some models closer to home. Helios Visions, a drone mapping service, has captured a few familiar Chicago institutions, like the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture and the United Center.