Guide for increased accessibility through 3D models

1. What is a 3D model?

A 3D model is a three-dimensional object produced in a digitally controlled process. 3D models are often referred to as prints, even though they can be made using other techniques, such as CNC ...

2. Tactile accessibility

The word tactile describes the transfer of information or sensations by touch. As many cultural heritage objects neither can nor may be touched, a 3D model can be a way of creating an accessible ...

3. Why 3D models for tactile accessibility?

3D models can increase the tactile accessibility of objects which cannot be touched, by offering a tactile representation of the object’s shape and volume. 3D models can also be used to produce ...

4. Supplementary information for tactile 3D models

While a 3D model can convey the form and volume of an object, it can never reproduce the materiality and function of the original object. 3D models therefore need to be supplemented with other ...

5. 3D models – opportunities and limitations

By themselves, or with the aid of other information carriers, printed 3D models can help increase the accessibility and understanding of cultural heritage objects. As a 3D model can never convey ...

6. 3D models and copies

A 3D model is a model; a representation, and not a copy. The function and materiality of the original must be conveyed through other media. However, 3D models can be used to both tactilely and ...

7. 3D printing techniques

Additive manufacturing, often referred to as 3D printing, is a collective term for techniques used to manufacture objects in layers, based on a three-dimensional computer model. There are ...

8. Tactile images

Making two-dimensional images and photos tactilely accessible involves techniques such as swell-paper, collage pictures, and tactile photos. Tactile images should be produced by a designer with ...

Example - A pocket-sized dinosaur skull

An example from the Natural History Museum in Stockholm of how 3D models can be used to convey information. This is a 3D model of the skull of a Parasaurolophus, shrunk down, as the dinosaur was ...

Example - When blue plastic 3D models are better than original artifacts

One example of practical use of 3D models can be found in the interactive exhibition Arkeoteket at the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm. Arkeoteket is an interactive exhibition at the Swedish ...

Links

Links to facts, inspiration and good examples! Guidelines and ideas for educational material for students with visual impairments Report by Kirsten Rassmus-Gröhn, Johanna Rydeman, Gustav Knape, ...