# 3D print with the various areas from a free surfer parcellation map

**URL:** <https://discourse.slicer.org/t/3d-print-with-the-various-areas-from-a-free-surfer-parcellation-map/2942>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [May 27, 2018, 1:10pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/3d-print-with-the-various-areas-from-a-free-surfer-parcellation-map/2942 "2018-05-27T13:10:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![williamthe5thc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ac91a4/32.png) [@williamthe5thc](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/williamthe5thc)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 1:10pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/3d-print-with-the-various-areas-from-a-free-surfer-parcellation-map/2942/1 "2018-05-27T13:10:42Z")

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Question, if I’m wanting to make a 3D print, how can I use the parcellation map to be able to have them different colored after printing. ( or in other words after I have the brain 3D printed is there a stencil that I can use to be able to spray paint each area (e.g. v1, s1, brocca’s area) of the brain; or have it broken into each piece in the STL so I can slightly change the layer that’s printed so that it stands out easier when it’s printed.)

For reference, I’m using the default Bert data set.

Does this make sense?

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**Author:** ![timeanddoctor](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/timeanddoctor/32/5839_2.png) [@timeanddoctor](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/timeanddoctor)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 3:49am UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/3d-print-with-the-various-areas-from-a-free-surfer-parcellation-map/2942/2 "2018-05-28T03:49:43Z")

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can you have a capture screen picture for that model with different colors. We printed dual-color with a printer machine which surporting the colors printing

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**Author:** ![williamthe5thc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ac91a4/32.png) [@williamthe5thc](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/williamthe5thc)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 4:14am UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/3d-print-with-the-various-areas-from-a-free-surfer-parcellation-map/2942/3 "2018-05-28T04:14:30Z")

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If you look down in the bottom of [this](https://www.slicer.org/w/images/f/fe/FreeSurferCourse_Slicer3-4_SoniaPujol.pdf) tutorial and search for “Visualizing Parcellation Maps”, it will show the brain with a bunch of different areas colored, I’m wanting to get it exported to an STL with each of the colors preserved. Although as far as I am aware you can only 3D print with up to two different colors currently… unless you want to get super fancy…

Also I’m using the bert data set, as are they.

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**Author:** ![Chris\_Rorden](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/chris_rorden/32/4073_2.png) [@Chris\_Rorden](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/Chris_Rorden)\
**Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 11:52am UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/3d-print-with-the-various-areas-from-a-free-surfer-parcellation-map/2942/6 "2019-09-21T11:52:54Z")

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For color **volume** printing, you may want to look at [SlicerFab](https://github.com/SlicerFab/SlicerFab) and [this post](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/printing-volume-renderings-in-plastic/3017).

For color **surface** printing (e.g. FreeSurfer), I would look at ShapeWays support for color VRML files. The image below shows their matte sandstone (which I prefer to their glossy sandstone). The sandstone has a nice mass, and printing just one hemisphere provides a flat side that is nice for a paperweight.

You can create VRML format meshes with Surfice, which you can get from [NITRC](https://www.nitrc.org/projects/surfice/) or [GitHub](https://github.com/neurolabusc/surf-ice/releases). The model I show below was created by selecting the Scripting/Python/basic\_paint\_surface menu item and then choosing the Advanced/SaveMesh menu item. You can also create this type of mesh from the graphical interface. Finally, for an example of FreeSurfer brain regions (e.g. annot files), you can use File/Open to open the “/fs/lh.curv” mesh and select Overlays/AddOverlays to select the “/fs/boggle.annot”, which will create the mesh below with the [MindBoggle](https://mindboggle.info/data.html) map.

 ![IMG_1438](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/slicer/original/3X/3/3/33703c7d480760ff4b5b40b2b1efc1433e456a2c.jpeg)

 ![boggle](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/slicer/original/3X/b/4/b4531aed15872d576ea7d14321b42512f10fbd30.jpeg)