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Thoracic cage (rib cage) in 3D

Beta

Explore the ribs, the manubrium, body and xiphoid process of the sternum, and the costal cartilages that join them.

Beta

Interactive 3D atlas

Loads about 9 MB of 3D data the first time. Works best on a laptop or a recent phone.

Study the thoracic cage in 3D

Explore the ribs, the manubrium, body and xiphoid process of the sternum, and the costal cartilages that join them.

Turn and zoom

Drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom, and tap any part to see its name and explanation.

Labels and standard views

Switch labels on or off and jump to front, back, side, top and bottom views, with an orientation cube.

Section cuts

Cut through the structure in transverse, coronal or sagittal planes and slide the cut through it.

Explode and see-through

Pull the parts apart, or make the outer layers faint to see what is inside.

Guided tour

Follow the "Bone by bone" tour one step at a time, or press Play and let the camera fly to each part.

Parts in this model

41 named parts, each with the FMA identifier the dataset gives it. Tap a group in the app to show or hide it.

  • Sternum3
  • Ribs24
  • Costal cartilages14

Guided tour: Bone by bone (3 steps)

Each step highlights the parts it talks about. The sentence is quoted word for word from OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e.

  1. 1. Sternum

    The sternum is the elongated bony structure that anchors the anterior thoracic cage.
    OpenStax, 7.4 Sternum

  2. 2. Ribs

    Each rib is a curved, flattened bone that contributes to the wall of the thorax.
    OpenStax, 7.4 Ribs

  3. 3. Costal cartilages

    The bony ribs do not extend anteriorly completely around to the sternum.
    OpenStax, 7.4 Rib Classifications

What this model does not show

The dataset has costal cartilage meshes for ribs 1 to 7 only.

Where the data or the textbook has a gap, the atlas says so instead of filling it in.

Keep exploring

Questions

What can I see in the thoracic cage model?

The model has 41 named parts in 3 groups: Sternum, Ribs, Costal cartilages.

What is the "Bone by bone" tour?

It is a guided tour of 3 steps. Each step highlights the parts it describes and shows a sentence quoted from OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e. Press Play to let the camera fly to each step for you.

What is missing from the thoracic cage model?

The dataset has costal cartilage meshes for ribs 1 to 7 only.

Where does the information come from?

The 3D shapes come from the BodyParts3D dataset (and, for the female pelvic region, the Human Reference Atlas). Every explanation is a sentence quoted word for word from the open textbook OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, with a link to its section.

Can I use it to diagnose or treat anything?

No. The atlas is for learning only. It is a beta version and has not yet been reviewed by an anatomy educator.

Credits and disclaimer

For learning only, not for diagnosis or treatment. This is a beta version and it has not yet been reviewed by an anatomy educator.

BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 International. Text quoted from OpenStax, Anatomy and Physiology 2e, © Rice University, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Female pelvic region from the Human Reference Atlas (HuBMAP), CC BY 4.0.

This tool is free, non-commercial and made for education. It has no ads and no paid features.

All sources and licences