Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/14320
The Chicago Police Department employed its large-format laser scanner, used for crime scenes, to digitize the popular dinosaur. (Inset) Scanning specialist Art Andersen examines one of the bones. this depended on the bone, especially its size and shape. Because we could not work with the original bones, as they were mounted and on display, we used a research-grade cast of each bone. Tese are the basic objects used by paleontologists to study dinosaurs and are in- credibly accurate—taken directly from a high- quality mold of the original bone—and easier to study than the originals because they are much lighter and less fragile. Most of these cast bones were CT-scanned; Makovicky arranged to have this done at the Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, at the outpatient facility. It is not used on the weekends, and the staff donated their time and facilities for this project. Te majority of Sue’s bones are vertebrae and chevrons, small V-shaped bones under the tail. Tese bones, along with some ribs and the bones of the arms, hands, legs, and feet, were scanned at the Loyola facility to provide high-resolution data. It is important to note that, most often, multiple bones were scanned simultaneously to cut down on the needed CT time. Not all the bone casts would fit into the Loyola medical CT scanner. Te skull, hip bones, femur, and several ribs and vertebrae were CT-scanned at Ford Motor Company’s Non-Destructive Engineering Site located in Livonia, Michigan. Martin Jones, who heads up the large CT scanning facility there, used the one-meter-diameter platform to scan most of these large casts. Some of the hip bones were even too large for this CT scanner, and 52 July 2010 we contracted with a local company—Cubic- Vision of Deerfield, Illinois—to digitize these using a white-light scanner. Tis variety of scanners and providers gen- erated the data that we used to create individ- ual models for all the real bones found as part of Sue’s skeleton. What about the few missing bones? For them, we used an approach we de- veloped for the Smithsonian’s Triceratops proj- ect. If the missing bone is from one side of the animal—what scientists call part of its bilat- eral symmetry—then we used the bone from the side it was present, mirror-imaged it, and created it for the needed side. In other cases, the missing bones mostly reflect small size dif- ferences (as with some vertebrae in the spine), and for these we could simply scale the bone we didn’t have from one that we did have. Te third and final phase of the project, at least for us, is to match the higher-resolution individual cast scans with their position in the lower-resolution, full-skeleton scan made in the first phase. Working with the paleontolo- gists at the Field Museum, we will place each individual bone scan in the exact position of its counterpart, producing a very high reso- lution, complete animal. Tis will take time, but will provide tremendous raw material for addressing questions about the biology of the animal. Now an accurate scientific study of how the dinosaur walked, ran, sat down—any question on any form of movement—can be modeled with the virtual mount. Tis can lead to high-quality animations of Sue moving. As a bonus, this project also provides the po- tential for the museum to use the virtual mod- els for Sue products, which can help generate much-needed funds; the options for marketing, exhibit products, and educational outreach are huge. Te interest of Makovicky in answer- ing research questions on the biology of this dinosaur not only should lead to answering those questions—along with more general an- swers for tyrannosaurs, meat-eating dinosaurs, and dinosaurs in general—but should also pro- vide ways to enhance the marketing, funding, and education missions of the owners of Sue, the Field Museum of Natural History. For three technologists—two trained as pale- ontologists and one with a longtime interest in the field—it was a chance to combine two great passions and do what we all want to do: work on something we love and make a difference. n Art Andersen, president of Virtual Surfaces, has been involved in 3D scanning and digital editing for the past 15 years. Ralph Chapman is a paleontologist and technologist, and one of the founders of the Triceratops Project, the creation of the first true digital dinosaur, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. He specializes in the virtualization of objects, especially those that need great care in their handling. Linda Deck is a paleontologist and exhibition specialist, and also one of the founders of the Triceratops Project. She has comprehensive experience in incorporating 3D technol- ogy and its products into exhibits.