254 Tropical Biomedicine 27(2): 254–264 (2010) A novel alternative method for 3D visualisation in Parasitology: the construction of a 3D model of a parasite from 2D illustrations Teo, B.G. 1 , Sarinder, K.K.S. 1 and Lim, L.H.S. 1* 1 Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603 Malaysia * Corresponding author email: susan@um.edu.my Received 8 January 2010; received in revised form 7 April 2010; accepted 8 April 2010 Abstract. Three-dimensional (3D) models of the marginal hooks, dorsal and ventral anchors, bars and haptoral reservoirs of a parasite, Sundatrema langkawiense Lim & Gibson, 2009 (Monogenea) were developed using the polygonal modelling method in Autodesk 3ds Max (Version 9) based on two-dimensional (2D) illustrations. Maxscripts were written to rotate the modelled 3D structures. Appropriately orientated 3D haptoral hard-parts were then selected and positioned within the transparent 3D outline of the haptor and grouped together to form a complete 3D haptoral entity. This technique is an inexpensive tool for constructing 3D models from 2D illustrations for 3D visualisation of the spatial relationships between the different structural parts within organisms. INTRODUCTION One of the problems encountered in studying structural and functional morphology of small organisms, in particular parasites such as the monogeneans (Platyhelminthes), is a lack of visualisation in three dimensions. Although the anatomical structures of all organisms are three dimensional (3D), images (line drawings and photographs) are usually two dimensional (2D) and thus provide an incomplete visualisation of their structural morphology. 3D visualisation has been successfully addressed in medicine and engineering using various hardware, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (Richard, 2000) and computed tomography (Mclntosh et al ., 2005), and related software (e.g. 3D Doctor) (Peña & Foote, 2008). Currently in the biological sciences there are dedicated CAD (computer aided design) software with the capability of producing 3D images from scanning electron microscopic (SEM), transmission electron microscopic (TEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopic images; this has been done for invertebrates (Semmler et al ., 2009), fungi (Dickson & Kolesik, 1999), mammalian cells (Ikonomov et al., 2001), and recently for hard parts of monogeneans (Galli et al ., 2007). 3D models and 3D animations of the male and female human anatomy have also been developed for medical education as exemplified by the visible human project (VPH) (National Library of Medicine, 2009). The current 3D biological images were obtained from expensive electron and confocal microscopes which are not readily available to many researchers. Hence there is a need for an alternative method to develop 3D models of biological specimens in particular micro-organisms for 3D visualisation. Most of the structural information of micro-organisms are usually derived from light microscopy studies and the images obtained (line drawings, photographs) are 2D in nature. We are currently exploring the use of 3D software