Data from: Beyond the print - virtual paleontology in science publishing, outreach and education

Virtual Paleontology unites a variety of computational techniques and methods for the visualization and analysis of fossils. Due to their great potential and increasing availability, these methods have become immensely popular in the last decade. However, communicating the wealth of digital information and results produced by the various techniques is still exacerbated by traditional methods of publication. Transferring and processing three-dimensional information, such as interactive models or animations, into scientific publications still poses a challenge. Here, we present different methods and applications to communicate digital data in academia, outreach and education. 3D PDFs, QR codes, anaglyph stereo imaging and rapid prototyping - methods routinely used in the engineering, entertainment or medical industries - are outlined and evaluated for their potential in science publishing and public engagement. Although there remain some limitations, they constitute simple and mostly cost-effective, but powerful tools to use existing research data to create novel and innovative resources for education, public engagement or outreach.