Human Atlas: A Free 3D Anatomy Explorer in Your Browser
If you've ever studied anatomy, you know the problem with textbooks: the body is 3D, and the page is flat. Good 3D anatomy apps exist, but the best ones usually come with a subscription.
Human Atlas is a new free alternative that's been climbing GitHub's trending charts this month, with nearly 4,000 stars since it was created in early September. It runs in your web browser. No download, no account.
What it is
Human Atlas is an interactive 3D anatomy explorer. You can:
- Orbit, zoom and click on structures directly on the body
- Toggle body systems on and off, or use presets like skeleton-only or organs-only
- Explode the model from assembled anatomy into every individual piece
- Search by anatomical name
- Isolate a structure and read information about it
- Use it on mobile, with compact controls
How detailed is it?
Quite. It includes:
- 2,234 individually selectable parts
- 15 anatomical systems
- 3,432 named concepts
The anatomy data comes from BodyParts3D 4.0, a reference anatomy model of an adult male, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0).
How to try it
There's a live version at human-atlas-seven.vercel.app. Open it in any modern browser.
If you're technical and want to run or modify it yourself, the code is on GitHub under the MIT license. It's built with React and Three.js.
Who it's great for
- Students in biology, nursing, physiotherapy, sports science or pre-med who want a free study tool
- Teachers who want something to put on a projector without buying licenses for a whole class
- Artists learning anatomy for drawing
- Curious people who want to know where their spleen actually is
How it compares to paid anatomy apps
To be fair, big paid apps still offer things a new open-source project doesn't, such as:
- Detailed written lessons and quizzes
- Female anatomy models and variations
- Animations of muscles moving
- Clinical content and professional-grade references
Human Atlas is a 3D model explorer, not a full course. For many students, that's exactly the missing piece: something free to rotate and click while reading their actual textbook.
A quick study method using it
- Read a section in your textbook or lecture notes (say, the bones of the arm).
- Open Human Atlas and switch to the skeleton preset.
- Find each bone, isolate it and rotate it. Look at where it connects.
- Close the labels and try naming each bone from memory.
- Use the search to check yourself.
Active recall with a 3D model beats reading labels on a diagram.
FAQ
Is Human Atlas free?
Yes. It's free to use in a browser, and the code is open source under the MIT license.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The live version runs in your web browser.
Where does the anatomy data come from?
From BodyParts3D 4.0, an adult male reference anatomy model licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Does Human Atlas work on phones?
Yes. It includes compact controls for mobile.
Source: Human Atlas on GitHub