Interactive 3D models expand veterinary learning
Digital technology helps students explore equine anatomy beyond the classroom.
The University Libraries and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine have transformed a collection of horse dental specimens into interactive 3D teaching models that students and anyone interested in equine health can study anytime.
Open a cabinet in the veterinary college, and you’ll find rows of preserved horse teeth used for teaching and research.
The collection, known as dental clackers, might seem unusual. But for veterinary students, the specimens provide hands-on learning opportunities to study equine dental anatomy, oral health, and the characteristics veterinarians use to estimate a horse’s age.
Students can now continue studying the collection long after they leave the lab.
The challenge
For generations, veterinary students have relied on physical dental specimens to study equine dental anatomy. Access to the clackers, however, was limited by class schedules, laboratory sessions, and the number of physical specimens available.
“We have a large number of students, but a limited number of clackers,” said Fawzy Elnady, associate professor of anatomy and embryology. “So I thought we should have a way to increase accessibility for the students whenever they want.”
The faculty wanted a way for students to study the specimens beyond scheduled class time, closely examine dental structures, and revisit key concepts whenever they needed additional practice.
Elnady saw a solution. Bring the collection online so that students can access it anytime, anywhere.
The solution
Elnady partnered with University Libraries, where digital library developers used overlapping photos and digital imagery, otherwise known as photogrammetry, to create detailed 3D models that allow users to rotate specimens, zoom in on anatomical features, and examine the teeth from nearly every angle.
“Adding another dimension gives viewers the opportunity to see an object as it actually is,” said Lee Hunter, senior software engineer for the Digital Library Platform in University Libraries.
Screenshot of the interactive 3D model of a horse dental clacker.
In addition to providing interactive online access to the specimens, the platform includes educational information that helps students understand what they’re seeing and how veterinarians use dental characteristics to estimate a horse’s age, with a corresponding interactive quiz
Although developed for veterinary education, the collection can also serve educators, youth agriculture organizations, and anyone interested in equine health and science.
Beyond preservation
For University Libraries, this represents more than a standard digitization project.
"This project was different from many of our previous collections," said Jennifer Goyne, assistant director for digital library development. "While most of our digital collections are presented as 2D images, creating 3D models of these dental clackers allows users to explore the objects from every angle. This approach supports research, education, and public engagement by providing a more complete representation of each specimen."
The project brought together expertise from veterinary medicine, software development, photogrammetry, and digital preservation.
"Everyone brought a unique area of expertise to the project, and that diversity of knowledge made the final result stronger," Goyne said. "This collaboration demonstrates that we're more than individual departments, we're one campus working together toward a common goal."
Looking ahead
The project could serve as a model for future collaborations between University Libraries and researchers across Virginia Tech.
For Hunter, the broader impact is clear.
“It’s democratizing information by making it available to people who would never have access to it,” he said.
Elnady hopes the same approach can eventually expand to other veterinary teaching collections, giving students new ways to learn from specialized specimens.
“This is the future,” he said.
