
Here is an ongoing list of websites which archive scans of real world objects and locations. As noted some sites allow download of their data while others do not. They also vary as to commercial use of their data. By understanding and following all licensing restrictions we can encourage more sites to allow download of their data.
If you have any to add please comment below.
Site Name | URL | Is content downloadable? | |
Lincoln 3d Scans | http://lincoln3dscans.co.uk/ | Medieval thru 20th century sculptures and artifacts | Yes |
Smithsonian X 3d | http://3d.si.edu/ | Scans of artifacts from the Smithsonian collection | Yes |
Micro Pasts | http://micropasts.org/ | mostly bronze age axes and spears | Some |
The Virtual Hampson Museum | http://hampson.cast.uark.edu/ | Native american pottery | Yes |
African Fossils | http://africanfossils.org/ | The name says it all. Lots of early hominid skulls | Yes |
Macquarie University | https://toolbox.ltc.mq.edu.au/3dbeta/library.php | Egyptian artifacts | No |
GB3D Type Fossils | http://www.3d-fossils.ac.uk/ | Fossils found in the UK. Difficult to navigate unless you know scientific names | Yes |
NIH 3d Print Exchange | http://3dprint.nih.gov/ | Mostly medical specimens | Yes |
Amarna Virtual Museum | http://amarna.cast.uark.edu/index.html | Egyptian artifacts | Yes |
VR3d | http://vr3d.vn/ | Vietnamese traditional sculptures | No |
3d Icons Ireland | http://www.3dicons.ie/ | Archaeological and cultural sites and artifacts from Ireland | No |
Cyark | http://www.cyark.org/ | Amazing collection of buildings, landmarks and other cultural heritage resources | No |
SKetchFab | http://www.sketchfab.com/ | Huge collection user uploaded scans | Some |
Morpho Source | http://morphosource.org/ | Mostly homonid bones including the Rising Star Cave finds. | Some |
A Large Dataset of Object Scans | http://redwood-data.org/3dscan/index.html | Prime Sense scans of everyday objects. Interestingly they include the video shot during the scan so you can follow the scanner’s movements. | Yes |
Zamani Project | http://www.zamaniproject.org/ | Beautiful scans of mostly African and Middle Eastern cultural sites | No |