Help our team at UMass Amherst inspire young students with the Paintimals Project! 

What is the Paintimals Project? 

The Paintimals Project is an education and outreach initiative created by the Irschick Lab in the Biology Department at UMass Amherst. The Paintimals Project takes 3D models of living animals developed by the Digital Life Project and creates 3D printed miniature life-like replicas for educational use. Our goal is to provide Paintimals "kits" to at least 30 5th and 6th-grade classrooms in the Holyoke, Springfield, and Greenfield school districts. Each kit will contain 3D prints modeled after real sea turtles and sharks, paints and paint brushes, "trading cards" with fun facts about the different sea turtle and shark species, and educational resources for teachers. The Paintimals Project will provide local students with an engaging and hands-on learning activity that combines science and art, all at no cost to schools or teachers. Best of all, the kids can bring their painted turtles and sharks and trading cards home to share with their families!

Digital Life and 3D Modeling

The models used to create the Paintimals 3D prints were originally developed by the Digital Life Team at UMass Amherst. The Digital Life team creates stunningly accurate, high-resolution 3D models of all kinds of living animals through a process called photogrammetry -- the practice of integrating 2D photographs to make 3D models. Learn more about the Digital Life project, the 3D modeling process, and the animals behind the Paintimals Project at http://digitallife3d.org/. 

Our Sea Turtle and Shark Species

Click the link below each image to view the Digital Life 3D recreation of each turtle species!

Nemesis- Great Hammerhead Shark (3D Model Link)

Bailey- Southern Right Whale (3D Model Link)

     Poli - Bottlenose Dolphin (3D Model Link)

     Mary - Flatback Sea Turtle (3D Model Link)

Check out more of our models at https://sketchfab.com/DigitalLife3D

Your Donations 

We greatly appreciate any contribution to our project! The Paintimals Project is funded only through donations so every bit helps! Money raised through this campaign will go to printing the models and trading cards, purchasing paint supplies, and distributing kits to classrooms.