Arius3D Imaging Centre
Display for the Public
The 3D images are being used to produce exceptional exhibition and educational materials of Puijila darwini.
Natalia Rybczynski setting up the Puijila skull for scanning. She is using a northern river otter skull for guidance in assembling the fossil pieces.
The public, not just the scientists, can manipulate the 3D models themselves. (Try the 3D model on this page). Animations, which demonstrate specific attributes of the animal, can be made equally accessible. The 3D prints are accurate, physical replicas of the scanned Puijila fossil bones; once painted and mounted, the replica can be used in museum exhibitions and for educational purposes.
3D Model
The brown bones are fossils and the grey ones are reconstructions..
Rotate the skull by sliding the rectangular control-tool left and right.
You must have the latest version of Flash in order to see this 3D model. You can download this software from the Adobe Web site.
Two 3D prints of Puijila have been created and mounted. One will be displayed in Extreme Mammals, a travelling exhibition that includes the Canadian Museum of Nature on its itinerary. Find out about the exhibition.
Once the exhibition tour has been completed, the mounted 3D print will be provided to the Government of Nunavut. (The fossil belongs to Nunavut).
The other 3D print will be kept by Nature.
Benefits to Conservation
Fossil bones must be preserved in specialized climate-controlled collection facilities. The 3D models help preserve the specimen because they can provide access to the fossil to research scientists in a way that does not jeopardize it—computer files are more portable than fossils! The data from the scans also record a baseline for future evaluations of the fossil's preservation condition.
