Really, no one guesses that it’s a brain. Which is OK. Intriguing, even.
We’re probably used to identifying the brain by the folds on the hemispheres. (And by a pink color.) Slicing up the brain into thick slices removes these features. Additionally, I think I made an error in the thickness calculation, so it ended up a little squished.

A next easy step would be to create markers for the brain anatomy. What if the brain model were used as a way to navigate information space? I think Nagle and I are exploring similar things in different ways, which is cool!

Above is a gif, where opening the brain shows you the pathways of dopamine, both on the brain and in a zoomed-in view. (science viz taken from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ4H6ewXqCo
I used Autodesk’s 123D Make, which allows you to slice up any 3D model into layers. (It can also create interlocking slices, holes for dowels, and folding panels)
The brain is an interesting organ and I wanted to see what it would look/feel like as a stretchy object that you could peek into. I found the model here: http://3dprint.nih.gov/
There are also interesting models of fossils here: http://africanfossils.org/ Here is a print of a hippo tusk harpoon.
