Bones of the Skull: A 3-D Learning Tool, QuickTime VR Anatomical Resources, and Yorick: The VR Skull

Bones of the Skull: A 3-D Learning Tool. Dispensa M, Duncan J, Moon J, Alessi S. Hardin Health Sciences Library, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 2000. Downloadable for free at www.lib.uiowa.edu/commons/skullvr/; CD-ROM version available for $6.00 plus shipping and handling. Recommended requirements for Macintosh: PowerPC 120 MHz or greater, 20 MB RAM available, QuickTime 3.0 or higher. Recommended requirements for Windows 95/NT/2000: Pentium II 200 MHz or greater, 32 MB RAM available, QuickTime 3.0 or higher.

QuickTime VR Anatomical Resources. Nieder G. Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Wright State University Dayton, OH, 1999. Downloadable for free at www.anatomy.wright.edu/QTVR/qtvr.html. Requires installation of free QuickTime VR plug-in available from Apple Computer at www.apple.com/quicktime/.

Yorick: The VR Skull. Scott J, Nieder G, Anderson M. Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, 1999. CD-ROM version available for $5.00; includes additional program, Beyond Vesalius (not reviewed). See www.neuro.wright.edu/QTVR/Yorick/lostFiles.html for ordering information. Requirements for Macintosh: any Power Macintosh (100 MHz or better recommended), System 7.5 or later, QuickTime 2.5 or later, including the QuickTime VR extension (installer included with program), 94 MB hard drive recommended. Requirements for Windows 95, 98, or NT: 486/66 MHz (100 MHz or better Pentium recommended), 8 MB of free RAM, VGA display capable of 16-bit color at 640 × 480 pixels, QuickTime for Windows 2.1.2 with QuickTime VR extensions (installer included with program), 10 MB of free RAM, display capable of 16-bit color (thousands of colors) at 640 × 480 pixels, 94 MB hard drive recommended.

Bones of the Skull: A 3-D Learning Tool, QuickTime VR (QTVR) Anatomical Resources, and Yorick: The VR Skull are instructional software programs developed at academic medical centers for teaching anatomy and osteology of the skull. Bones of the Skull was developed at the University of Iowa and both QTVR Anatomical Resources and Yorick were developed at Wright State University. For the purposes of this review, Yorick and QTVR Anatomical Resources are treated as companion programs with the emphasis of the review on the QTVR Anatomical Resources program. Each of these three programs is available at no cost or minimal cost and uses virtual reality (VR) technology to show the three-dimensional relationships of anatomical structures. For this review, the program is the version available for download from or use via the program's Website. Information presented in the review about the CD-ROM version of the Bones of the Skull and Yorick programs comes from descriptive or promotional information on those programs' Websites. A Web-based version of Yorick is in preparation. The programs were tested on two Macintosh G3s.

Virtual reality in this context means that these programs include interactive, graphical VR objects that can be rotated by users in all three dimensions in order to view all aspects of the object. Virtual reality “movies” come in two basic types at this time: panoramic VR and object VR. Both programs are comprised mostly of object VR, which allows manipulation of the object—almost as if one were holding it in one's hand and could turn it in any direction. QTVR Anatomical Resources includes a few panoramic VRs that differ by allowing the user to move through and within a more complex object—usually as if it were a building and the user were walking or flying through the building space. Developers of both programs are passionate about the potential of this technology for teaching, and they include extensive and very helpful information on their Websites about the development of the programs, with tutorials or technical information for those interested in developing their own VR objects or panoramas. In particular, the QTVR Anatomical Resources developers include a portable document format (PDF) version of a very helpful and detailed tutorial from the Anatomical Record on development of anatomical VR [1].

To make use of QuickTime VR (QTVR)—whether as part of a program on a CD-ROM, installed to the hard drive, or installed within a Web browser—requires special programs or set-up on one's local machine. Because QTVR has become an industry standard, there is a very good chance that potential users of these programs already have their computers configured appropriately. For the CD-ROM versions of the programs, installers or set-up programs are included to help with the process. The downloadable version of Bones of the Skull also includes an installer or set-up program (for itself but not for the QTVR plug-in) as well as detailed technical support, a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section, and a form for submitting other technical problems. These are linked from the main page of the site and are easily accessible, well written, and well constructed. Technical support for the QTVR Anatomical Resources program is not as well developed.

Bones of the Skull, the newer of the two programs by a narrow margin, received the 1999 Sandoz/Slice of Life Student Software Development Award. It was also awarded first place in the CD-ROM category of the 2001 Instructional Computing in Dentistry Competition, sponsored by the Dental Informatics Section of the American Dental Education Association. Although developed for a target audience of speech pathology students, Bones of the Skull is potentially of interest to a much broader population, because of the essential nature of the information covered in this program and its clarity of design. The program is useful for any health sciences student taking introductory anatomy or a course on the anatomy of the head and neck. In addition to being appropriate for medical and dental students, the program could also be useful for general undergraduate students, anthropology students, and even advanced high school students. Even though Yorick was developed specifically for medical students, it would also be appropriate for a similar range of audiences. QTVR Anatomical Resources is intended primarily as a resource for teachers of anatomy.

Although there is considerable similarity in content, Bones of the Skull focuses exclusively on the skull, while QTVR Anatomical Resources includes some dissections from other areas of the body. The scope and coverage of content in Bones of the Skull is very clear and well structured; the same cannot be said for QTVR Anatomical Resources. It seems to have grown organically over time based on the interests of the developers and the needs of anatomical instructors. According to the program author, new funding has been received to expand this program.

The VR objects included in Bones of the Skull are the facial bones, cranial bones, intact skull, temporomandibular joint, mandible, and the sphenoid, temporal, and ethmoid bones. The table of contents notes whether the bone in question appears as a pair on each side of the skull or as a single unified structure. All twenty-two bones of the skull are accounted for in both the animations and the accompanying instructional materials. All of the VR objects in the program rotate in three dimensions except for the temporomandibular joint, where the animation focuses on the function of the joint movement.

The VR objects included in QTVR Anatomical Resources relative to the bones of the head are the skull, mandible, sagittal-view skull, and calvaria. QTVR Anatomical Resources also includes a head prosection, the knee joint, the heart, an atrial septal defect, the testis, the renal artery, an emphysemic lung, the hand, and the foot. The panoramic VRs included in QTVR Anatomical Resources are the inferior side of the sphenoid body, the interior of the mandible, the cranial cavity interior, and the female pelvic viscera.

The animations of both programs allow the user to zoom in for a closer and more detailed view of the object and provide easy access to text labels in every view of the rotated objects. In Yorick, there is also a high-quality, color-coded version of each complete VR object, and this will remain so for the Web version of the program. In Bones of the Skull, the color-coded reference is included as two-dimensional images in the accompanying online textbook. QTVR Anatomical Resources supplies the VR objects in a variety of resolutions.

This reviewer experienced difficulties downloading and opening all except the lowest resolutions. The Help page on the Website gave several suggestions, but the actual solution was to increase memory allocation, not to the browser but to the QuickTime or MoviePlayer application (not mentioned on the Help page).

There are some interesting differences in image quality between the programs. Images in QTVR Anatomical Resources and Yorick appear to use primarily a single light source with the result that there can be a lack of clarity in some images due to dark shadows or glare on the surface of the bone. At the same time, there is a translucency to the images that gives an attractive immediacy and substance to the images. Images in Bones of the Skull lack the luminous quality of QTVR Anatomical Resources and Yorick but have greater clarity and visible detail. Perhaps students could benefit from these subtle differences by viewing all three programs for those areas where there is comparable content.

Bones of the Skull and Yorick are enriched with both additional textual information and self-testing components to assist in determining mastery of the content. QTVR Anatomical Resources is not intended for use by students, and thus lacks these specific enhancements for students. Yorick has a greater number of questions per animation, with questions clearly divided into two categories: identification of the anatomical structures and cognitive questions that focus on functional comprehension of the structures. In Yorick, users can have a scored version of the self-test—a useful feature if instructors want a measure of student performance. This, again, is available only in the CD-ROM version of the program. Bones of the Skull does not provide a scored version of the self-test. Instead, it focuses specifically on feedback and self-monitored mastery of concepts. Students progress through the textbook section by section, and each section includes study questions. Hints and answers are available to students, and students are encouraged to develop mastery of one concept before going forward in a section. This model is preferred for self-directed learning. These differences are an indication that the two programs have been developed with different educational purposes in mind and are another reason to suggest that students consider using both programs.

Bones of the Skull benefits from being the more recent program in that it incorporates many of the lessons in educational interface research and design that have been learned in just the past several years. Neither of the Websites for these programs (www.lib.uiowa.edu/commons/skullvr/ and www.anatomy.wright.edu/QTVR/qtvr.html) are designed for use on the Web by people with disabilities, but this may not be a significant issue given that the target audience is entirely composed of persons who must necessarily have both visual and manual dexterity. The downloadable version of Bones of the Skull is well organized, is designed with extremely clear navigation, and provides context-sensitive help.

Although QTVR Anatomical Resources is used as a study resource for students, it was never intended for this purpose and should be considered a resource to recommend to faculty. It is available only on the Web and is helpful as a quick online reference to selected portions of the information included in Yorick.

Both Bones of the Skull: A 3-D Learning Tool and Yorick: The VR Skull are valuable additions to any multimedia anatomy collection. Although the two programs cover similar content, there are significant differences in the level and type of detail presented, as well as differences in the accompanying textual and self-test information. These differences can be used to advantage by offering students variety, repetition, and opportunity to select the program that best suits their individual learning style. Given the minimal cost and technical investment required to make the programs available, this reviewer highly recommends making both programs available.