List of common 3D test models


This is a list of models and meshes commonly used in 3D computer graphics for testing and demonstrating rendering algorithms and visual effects. Their use is important for comparing results, similarly to the way standard test images are used in image processing.

Models by year of creation

Model nameYear of creationCreatorOriginModel sizeCreation methodInspirationComments
Catmull's hand1972Edwin CatmullUniversity of Utah350 trianglesHand measuredUsed in the 1976 Hollywood science fiction film Futureworld
Utah VW Bug1972Ivan SutherlandUniversity of UtahMeasured by handVolkswagen Beetle belonging to Ivan Sutherland's wife, MarshaReal car, measured by hand using yardsticks
Utah teapot1975Martin NewellUniversity of UtahModeledMelitta teapotAlso called the "Newell teapot"
Cornell box1984Cindy M. Goral, Kenneth E. Torrance, Donald P. Greenberg, Bennett BattaileCornell UniversityModeledScene includes multiple models and light source. Many versions exist, but only one of them is considered the standard Cornell box.
Stanford bunny1993-94Greg Turk, Marc LevoyStanford University69,451 trianglesScannedClay bunny
Happy Buddha1996Brian Curless, Marc LevoyStanford University1,087,474 triangles
543,524 vertices		ScannedBudai statuette
Stanford dragon1996Stanford University1,132,830 trianglesScannedChinese dragon.
Armadillo1996Stanford University345,944 trianglesScannedArmadillo toy.
Suzanne2002Willem-Paul van OverbruggenBlender 500 facesModeledOrangutan from the movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike BackChimpanzee head for Blender
Phlegmatic Dragon2007Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Czech Technical University in PragueEurographics 2007 conference667,214 faces
480,076 faces 		Scanned
Stanford LucyStanford University28,055,742 triangles
14,027,872 vertices		ScannedScanned model of Christian angel
Asian DragonStanford University7,218,906 triangles
3,609,455 vertices		ScannedA different Chinese dragon.
Thai StatueStanford University19,400,000 vertices, 38,800,000 triangles
5,000,000 vertices, 10,000,000 triangles 		ScannedScanned model of Thai statue
DavidStanford University~1 billion polygonsScannedMichelangelo's 5-meter statue of DavidOnly available to established scholars and for non-commercial use only.
Fertility2009AIM@SHAPE Repository 241,607 vertices
483,226 triangles		ScannedSmall statue with two joined figures. Laser scanned from a stone sculpture.
Spot2012Keenan CraneThe California Institute of Technology2,930 vertices
5,856 triangles		ModeledA spotted cow with Catmull-Clark control mesh, quadrangulation, triangulation, vector texture, and bitmap texture. All meshes are manifold, genus-0 embeddings.
Wooden Elk Toy2000Hans-Peter SeidelMax-Planck-Institut fuer Informatik, Computer Graphics GroupPhotogrammetryOften used as an example of a non-trivial object with high genus.
Bust of Max Planck2001Hans-Peter SeidelMax-Planck-Institut fuer Informatik, Computer Graphics GroupScanned
Crytek Sponza2010Frank MeinlCrytek262,267 triangles
184,330 vertices		ModeledThe collonaded atrium of the Sponza Palace in DubrovnikUsed for demonstrating global illumination techniques
3DBenchy2015Creative ToolsSpecifically designed for testing the accuracy and capabilities of 3D printers
The Other Nefertiti2015Nora Al-Badri and Jan Nikolai Nelles~2 million trianglesScannedNefertiti bust Nefertiti. The mesh was scanned by Nora Al-Badri and Jan Nikolai Nelles from the Nefertiti bust, which was created in 1345 BC by Thutmose.
UBC-UP Toy Horse2019Enrique Rosales, Jafet Rodriguez and Alla ShefferUniversity of British Columbia and Universidad Panamericana61,479 vertices, 80,754 faces
20,821 vertices, 41,562 faces 		Drawn in virtual reality using "ribbons"Created using Google Tilt Brush, .

Gallery