About Us
NIH 3D is an open, comprehensive, and interactive platform for discovering, sharing, and downloading biomedical 3D print and visualization files, modeling tutorials, and educational resources. The term biomedical encompasses a wide range of models, including cells, bacteria, viruses, proteins, DNA, anatomical structures, prosthetics, medical devices, and custom laboratory equipment.
NIH 3D is owned and operated by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. NIH 3D was released in 2023 as the successor application to the NIH 3D Print Exchange, which was a collaborative effort in 2013 led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in partnership with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
Our Vision
We envisioned a world where 3D printing and visualization are widely used in science and education—but found no centralized resource to support that goal. NIH 3D was created to fill that gap, enabling the scientific community to easily create, access, and share 3D models.
Our Mission
Our mission is to advance biomedical research and STEM education by providing a free, accessible repository of scientifically accurate 3D models and tools for creating and sharing them.
Why NIH 3D is Unique
It is the only platform dedicated specifically to bioscientific 3D printing and visualization.
It is the first government-sponsored website focused on 3D modeling in biomedical science.
It offers powerful, easy-to-use tools that convert scientific data into 3D objects in just minutes—at no cost.