Threeding.com is now Selling Museum Artifacts

Threeding.com's Founder contacted me today to inform us that they have just completed their redesign, and they are now scanning and selling 3D models of artifacts from several would renown museums. Read the entire story at http://3dprint.com/3089/threeding-scanning-artifacts/

This is truly awesome in my mind. It will allow for educators everywhere to use these 3D models to print out replicas of ancient artifacts.

Check out some of the photos that Threeding were nice enough to provide to use, of the scanning process.
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...05/threed9.jpg
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...05/threed8.jpghttp://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...05/threed7.jpghttp://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...05/threed6.jpg
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...05/threed5.jpg
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...05/threed4.jpg

Looks like Threeding and Artec have announced a partnership to use Artec's scanning technology ot create even more 3D printable content form museums. Read more at: http://3dprint.com/21421/threeding-artec-3d-scanning/

Threeding and Artec are partnering once again to help preserve historical artifacts, but this time will be the first that they have used 3D scanning to archive religious artifacts. Working on a project to 3D scan a catalog of artifacts at the Eastern Orthodox St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria, Artec and Threeding will not only save the historical pieces for posterity as they are beginning to deteriorate, but the 3D scans will also be available online for sale as files to download and 3D print. Read more about the collaboration at 3DPrint.com: http://3dprint.com/78454/artec-three...can-artifacts/


Below is a look at one of the 3D models from the cathedral:
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...8-1024x574.jpg

Artifact preservation through utilization of 3DP is a very noble cause. Chalk one up for these wonderful people.

Preservation or exploitation?

Duplicating unique or rare artifacts diminishes the original in ways we can't possibly fathom at this point.

What happens to the uniqueness of the original when everyone has a cheap copy sitting on their shelf at home?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wolfie

What happens to the uniqueness of the original when everyone has a cheap copy sitting on their shelf at home?

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The uniqueness of the original doesn't diminish at all. Original paintings aren't cheapened by the existence of prints, there's no reason to believe that this will be any different.

Now, plaster molds and other reproductions of these artifacts will surely be cheapened, but they were cheap to begin with.

All those cheap copies of the Mona Lisa don't seem to have harmed the popularity or diminished the value of the original. People still queue up with their phone-cameras to make cheap copies for themselves. It doesn't seem to have affected its "uniqueness" either.

That's more of an issue when dealing with art objects that have been digitally mastered. In that case, there's no "original"; each copy is, potentially at least, as good as another. Art galleries are still trying to come to grips with that problem, which undercuts the mystique they've been trading on all these years.