The Crocodilian
“Late Quaternary fossil deposits from The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Cuba contain fossils of the Cuban crocodile Crocodylus rhombifer. This species survives today only in Cuba and Isla de la Juventud (formerly Isla de Pinos); the populations in The Bahamas and Cayman Islands are locally extinct. Large fossil samples, including skulls, are known from underwater caves (blue holes) on Abaco in the northern Bahamas and organic peat deposits on Grand Cayman (Albury et al, 2015)”. This project took this CT scan data and turned it into a 3D object honing clean-up skills.
Clients
Nicholas Woolridge (Professor, University of Toronto)
Date
December 2024
Role
Research, Content Development, Visual Development, Layout
Format
Magazine cover | 3D printed learning material
Audience
Lay audience
Tools
3DSlicer, ZBrush, Cinema4D & Adobe Illustrator
Preparation
CT scan of a crocodile skull was obtained via the Digimorph data base which allowed for the construction of a crude 3D object using 3DSlicer. This object was brought into Zbrush where it would be shaped, smoothened, retopologized and texturized.
It was important to ensure that the object was completely solid to allow for printing. The upper and lower jaw were both sculpted separately to allow the pieces to be printed separately but ultimately fit together like puzzle pieces.
Layout
The final image was laid out in Adobe Illustrator as a mock magazine cover, an edition of “The Crocodilian”.
Printing
The final model was printed with UV resin at the University of Toronto.
Nancy Albury, Dr. David Steadman, Florida Museum of Natural History, 2015, "Crocodylus rhombifer" (On-line), Digital Morphology. Accessed June 24, 2025 at http://digimorph.org/specimens/Crocodylus_rhombifer/.