Last week I was working in Washington DC meeting with some customers and partners including my longtime friends and digitization heroes at the Smithsonian Digitization Program Lab. While there catching up on all the cool projects for the Smithsonian and talking about our several years as partners on the https://www.3d.si.edu/ and the Apollo Command Module capture, I spotted a 3D print of the Smithsonian's mammoth at small scale. It wasn't full scale 1:1 3D print of their mammoth skeleton as that would be massive and if you want you can print a 1:1, but this 1:10 scale version was unique with mechanical and articulated limbs. I asked my awesome Smithsonian friend Vince about this 3D print and got a great story on this 3D print.
Back when we started this project with the Smithsonian to capture all 137 million objects in the collection into digital 3D formats one was of the mammoth in the initial launch. People could download the 3D models of the initial wooly mammoth model released into the public in the first collection of objects. When the initial 3D objects were published people could view the model in the viewer but also the 3D models also available. The thinking was people would 3D print models for classrooms, research etc. but I don't think anyone thought people would download and create cool derivatives.
View the original mammoth here.
This is what you get when you set the data free, an articulated wooly mammoth! Here
“Exciting things happen when you set data free! Teraoka Gensyou, a toy designer and comic artist from Japan, downloaded our Woolly Mammoth scan, created a new version with posable joints AND created a manga about the whole process.”
Teraoka Gensyou also created a detailed manga (comic) on how the articulated wooly mammoth was inspired and created!
https://dpo.si.edu/blog/articulated-woolly-mammoth-manga
Download and print your own posable mammoth here. All the parts have posts and sockets to connect together after 3D printing. So go forth, 3d print your own articulated mammoth or modify and create a new exciting version.
For fun I brought the Smithsonian's wooly mammoth into our Autodesk office. We allow dogs in the office, why not a well behaved emotional support wooly mammoth? I used local Portland AR startup Torch’s app. If you want to get your 3D models in FBX to show on your iPhone in AR then this app is for you, and so much fun. You can also use Torch to add interactions to your world or add interesting objects into a story telling or to augment a presentation or perhaps an office map with more info on locations or how to get someplace. Now the Mammoth can be everywhere from your home, office, to classroom for everyone to see at 1:1 and sop much easier than a real live wooly mammoth in your home as they are huge, weigh a lot, eat a great deal, and well you know… Have some fun!
Autodesk working with the Smithsonian has been a real pleasure and honor to help them transform their collection to digital for everyone to see and use. Its a big 137 million object collection challenge and takes a lot of technology, but so worth it.
Cheers,
-Shaan
