Preservation of 3D research data is a present and emerging need. An increasing number of researchers are generating, capturing and/or analyzing 3D data, but are rarely focused on preservation or reuse. This paper and presentation will describe models of 3D data creation and use, outline the specific concerns for this data type, unpack complexities and challenges of preserving it and examine existing 3D data preservation resources while working through local case studies from the field of

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... ology. Directions to move digital 3D data preservation forward will be discussed.