alt Hacker NewsThe Met Releases High-Def 3D Scans of 140 Famous Art Objects
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The original article is https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/metropolitan-museum-o... Not sure why that is not linked, instead we have an AI generated SEO spam page.
It's kind of annoying that the 3D viewer on their website keep you a respectful distance away from the object like you might try to touch it if you got too close.
Here's a little script to download all the publicly available scans (135) as GLBs and stick the metadata in a JSON. The scans are all CC0 (public domain)
> high-def 3D scans
maybe 15, 20 years ago. I especially found the glossy shader goofy. No authentic replication, more 2000s gaming vibes. they should use gaussian splatting instead
Glad this was one of the objects captured, it's absolutely stunning to see in person: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/24671
I wish they had captured one of their Faberge eggs; those are almost more impressive.
Anyone know how the material roughness/metallic is captured? For instance here https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/253348. I've only seen basic albedo for 3D scans before. Maybe it's just hand-authored.
> Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
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> To request images under copyright and other restrictions, …
If these are available as public domain with unrestricted use without fee, what is the use case for requesting a version under copyright with restrictions?
Absolutely beautiful scans. Thanks Met. Wonderful art that brightened my day.
Any recommendations for art objects worth 3D printing at home? Bonus points if it would appeal to a grade schooler.
I see the “spinning” view in browser, but I don’t see an option to download the STLs.
Edit: It appears the usdz AR file can be converted to obj/stl files.
I wanted to try printing one but so far all of them seem like they’d be kind of disturbing to display in my house.
Does anyone know where the STL/OBJ files for the 3d models are at?
Great use of WebXR.
Works well both on the Vision Pro (USDz format) and Meta Quest (glTF binary format).
That being said without the right mediation, without some context... unless you already are an expert in the domain what's the point?
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Trivial to see the raw GLB files in a Viewer that gives you a bit more control.
https://github.khronos.org/glTF-Sample-Viewer-Release/?model...