Smithsonian X 3D:史密森3D建模應用平臺是一個基於瀏覽器的3D檢視平臺工具，不僅可以讓使用者檢視經過實體掃描生成的3D模型，還可以通過下載檔案連結到3D印表機，並且直接列印模型。
Smithsonian X 3D新出的一套適用於各種3D捕捉的掃描技術，適用於各種建模的工作，例如考古學家，直接可以用該工具進行掃描取樣，然後遠端傳送給博物館，博物館即可使用3D印表機，把採集到的資料還原真實。
The Smithsonian X 3D is an ambitious project by the Smithsonian Institute to create accurate 3D scans of artifacts, so that you can check them out in great detail from the comfort of your couch. You’ll get to see Amelia Earhart’s flight suit , a blue crab, and even a supernova. And don’t miss out on the guided tours!
Smithsonian X 3D launches a set of use cases which apply various 3D capture methods to iconic collection objects, as well as scientific missions. These projects indicate that this new technology has the potential not only to support the Smithsonian mission, but to transform museum core functions. Researchers working in the field may not come back with specimens, but with 3D data documenting a site or a find. Curators and educators can use 3D data as the scaffolding to tell stories or send students on a quest of discovery. Conservators can benchmark today’s condition state of a collection item against a past state – a deviation analysis of 3D data will tell them exactly what changes have occurred. All of these uses cases are accessible through the Beta Smithsonian X 3D Explorer, as well as videos documenting the project. For many of the 3D models, raw data can be downloaded to support further inquiry and 3D printing.
The Digitization Program Office is the hub for the Smithsonian’s inquiry into 3D. We support all 19 museums, 9 research centers and the National Zoo in their quest to increase the quantity and quality of Smithsonian digital assets. The Smithsonian digitization challenge and opportunity can be measured by the total number of collection items: at 137 million objects, artworks and specimens, capturing the entire collection at a rate of 1 item per minute would take over 260 years of 24/7 effort. At the present moment, the Smithsonian has prioritized the digitization of about 10% of its collections for digitization. To rise to this challenge, the Digitization Program Office is promoting rapid capture photography workflows for two-dimensional collections, and exploring innovations to speed up the capture of our three-dimensional collections, preferably in 3D.
With only 1% of collections on display in Smithsonian museum galleries, digitization affords the opportunity to bring the remaining 99% of the collection into the virtual light. All of these digital assets become the infrastructure which will allow not just the Smithsonian, but the world at large to tell new stories about the familiar, as well as the unfamiliar, treasures in these collections.
