What cell types can I explore in this 3D viewer?

Twelve distinct cells — plant cell, animal cell, neuron, bacteria, white blood cell, red blood cell, epithelial cell, skeletal muscle, cardiomyocyte (heart muscle), sperm cell, yeast (fungal cell), and a virus particle. Three of them — animal, neuron, and bacteria — render real NIH 3D Print Exchange GLB models for scientific fidelity. The other nine use procedural Three.js geometry tuned to each cell's characteristic shape.

Where do the 3D models come from?

The Animal Cell (3DPX-015797), Neuron (3DPX-015796), and Gram Positive Cell Wall / Bacteria (3DPX-010752) GLBs are sourced from the NIH 3D Print Exchange (https://3d.nih.gov), used under their CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. They are self-hosted on this site to avoid CORS issues that block browser loading from NIH's CDN. Procedural cells are hand-modelled with Three.js primitives (spheres, capsules, torus rings, Catmull-Rom curve tubes).

How do I highlight a specific organelle?

Pick a cell on the left rail (Cell Types), then click any organelle below (Nucleus, Mitochondrion, Golgi, etc.). The selected organelle glows in the 3D scene and the right-rail Organelle Details panel updates with size, location, and biological notes. Switch the View Mode toggle to 'Focus' to dim every non-active organelle so the highlight stands out, and use Cross Section to make outer membranes semi-transparent.

Is this free and does it run in the browser?

Yes — everything runs locally in your browser using WebGL via Three.js. No signup, no server-side compute, no telemetry. The NIH GLBs are loaded once and cached.

What's the difference between plant and animal cells in the viewer?

Open Plant Cell to see chloroplasts (light-harvesting green organelles), a large central vacuole, and the rigid cellulose-rich cell wall — none of which appear in animal cells. Animal Cell shows mitochondria, a centrally placed nucleus, and the flat-stacked Golgi apparatus. The 'Open Comparison View' button puts the two side-by-side.

Does the viewer work on mobile?

Yes — the three-column layout collapses on narrower screens, the biology sidebar slides in as a drawer, and OrbitControls accepts touch gestures (one-finger rotate, two-finger pan/pinch-to-zoom). 3D model file sizes are small (4-5 MB total) so it works on mobile data.

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Cell Atlas 3D

Explore life at the microscopic level — 12 cells, 3D, organelle-aware.

Animal Cell

Eukaryotic Cell

View Mode

Cross Section

Loading 3D specimen Cell 8%

Microscope View

Compare Cells

Organelle Details

Nucleus

The control center

Biological Notes

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Animal Cell