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. Three-dimensional 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 limitations remain, these are simple, mostly cost-effective, and powerful tools to create novel and innovative resources for education, public engagement, or outreach.虚拟古生物学（Virtual Paleontology）整合了各类用于化石可视化与分析的计算技术与方法。鉴于此类方法具备巨大应用潜力且可获取性日益提升，近十年来已在学界得到广泛普及。然而，传统出版手段仍制约着各类技术所生成的海量数字信息与研究成果的传播。将交互式模型、动画等三维信息整合并加工至科学出版物中，仍是一项颇具难度的挑战。本文针对学术交流、科普推广与教育场景下的数字数据传播需求，提出了多种可行方法与应用方案。本文对工程、娱乐与医疗行业常用的三维PDF（3D PDF）、二维码（QR codes）、互补色立体成像（Anaglyph Stereo Imaging）以及快速原型制作（Rapid Prototyping）等方法进行了梳理，并评估了其在科学出版与公众科普中的应用潜力。尽管仍存在一定局限，但此类工具操作简便、大多具备成本效益且功能强大，可为教育、公众参与及科普推广打造全新的创新性资源。