Some of the best things in life are free, and you’ve gotta give credit where credit is due, Google offers some amazing things for free – if you haven’t used their 3D View in search nows the time with a huge expansion of their 3D model library.

Here’s my demo of the Google View in 3D showing the new additions and some of the originals:

“View in 3D” is a button that appears on select search results where Google have a 3D model of the object.

This model is then turned into an object in Augmented Reality which you can walk around, and get a sense of scale from.

It started a while ago with Animals, like a cat or Bear:

But this week it expanded with some really cool things, and some that will come in handy in the next school lesson about the human body.

There’s a skeleton

A 3D model of the circulatory system, beating heart and all!

And lots lots more. It’s a seriously expansive list of things you can look into from cells right through to the human body.

Google also added a couple of great space items, 3D models from museum objects most people would never get to experience – let alone get close to.

The Apollo 11 Command Module

And Neil Armstrong in his space suit.

“View in 3D” appears in Google searches when you make them using Google Chrome browser (and other browsers) on compatible devices.

You can also record videos of your interaction, or take photos too.

You do NOT need an app installed. You just need a reasonably newish Smartphone or Tablet.

Give it a crack, no matter what – and if your kids are into it, feel free to print out this list of all the amazing things available on Google’s 3D View.

Land animals

  • Tiger,
  • giant panda,
  • leopard,
  • goat,
  • cheetah,
  • pony,
  • brown bear,
  • timber wolf,
  • Shetland pony,
  • python,
  • Arabian horse,
  • raccoon,
  • hedgehog,
  • deer

Underwater & wetland animals

  • Mallard duck,
  • alligator,
  • great white shark,
  • octopus,
  • angler fish,
  • sea turtle

Birds

  • Macaw,
  • emperor penguin,
  • eagle

House pets

  • Pomeranian,
  • golden retriever,
  • labrador,
  • rottweiler,
  • French bulldog,
  • pug,
  • cat

Human anatomical systems

  • Human digestive system,
  • respiratory system,
  • endocrine system,
  • female reproductive system,
  • nervous system,
  • lymphatic system,
  • male reproductive system,
  • integumentary system,
  • excretory system,
  • peripheral nervous system,
  • urinary system,
  • skeletal system,
  • muscular system,
  • circulatory system

Cellular structures

  • Mitochondrion,
  • prokaryote,
  • endoplasmic reticulum,
  • bacterium,
  • eukaryote,
  • plant cell,
  • rough endoplasmic reticulum,
  • nucleolus,
  • flagellum,
  • cell membrane,
  • animal cell,
  • Golgi apparatus,
  • ribosomes,
  • smooth endoplasmic reticulum,
  • chromatin,
  • nuclear membrane,
  • fimbria,
  • bacterial capsule,
  • plasmids,
  • central vacuole,
  • cristae,
  • plasma membrane,
  • cell wall,
  • cisternae

More

  • Chauvet cave,
  • Neil Armstrong,
  • Apollo 11 command module