We Have Atlas—Why Upgrade to VB Suite?

If your institution already has a site license for Human Anatomy Atlas, you may be asking yourself, “Why upgrade to Visible Body Suite?”

The answer is simple: VB Suite gives more students more tools to tackle their life sciences courses. 

VB Suite combines all previous Visible Body apps into a single, comprehensive app. This means that VB Suite contains all assets and features from:

• Human Anatomy Atlas
• Muscles & Kinesiology
• Physiology & Pathology
• Visible Biology
• Anatomy & Physiology (coming in summer 2024) 
• Plus brand new content and features!

Not only is VB Suite a one-stop shop for all your life science needs, but VB Suite makes it even easier for users to access exactly the content they need, and the Visible Body team is constantly expanding and updating VB Suite to ensure it fits students and instructors’ needs. 

Let’s take a closer look at six reasons why your institution should switch from Atlas to VB Suite. We’ll focus on the additional content and features from the past three years.

1. Go deeper with more A&P content

VB Suite contains new and improved anatomy content that covers all body systems! The app features a wealth of new and improved models, interactive physiology simulations, and 2D images. 

It’s a long list of updates, so let’s just look at a couple highlights! 

Skin microanatomy models

Students can compare light and dark pigmentation on skin models. 

Dark pigmentation model in VB Suite.

The heart in motion 

Examine the heart wall’s layers with the heart wall microanatomy model, and then explore an interactive model of the beating heart, complete with adjustable BPM. 

Interactive beating heart model in VB Suite.

Visualize the nervous system

Visible Body has rolled out a ton of new nervous system content, including cross sections of the vertebral column and spinal cord, a neuron microanatomy model, and pathology models and animations.

Neuron model in VB Suite.

Histology slides

Students can get the whole picture with 126 full color histology slides, and with the 2D image viewer, users can also access over 100 illustrations to supplement learning. 

An example of a histology slide in VB Suite!

2. Use VB Suite in more classes

VB Suite contains a ton of biology content, which means students and instructors can use VB Suite in even more classes and contexts. 

In VB Suite, you’ll find…

• Dissectible models of bacterial, plant, and animal cells
• Dissectible monocot and dicot roots, stems, and leaves
• Photosynthesis simulations
• Genetics content, including DNA coiling simulations
• Blood cell models
• Dissectible sea star, earthworm, frog, and pig models—perfect for comparative anatomy
• Biology quizzes and labs designed by our team of experts and reviewed by instructors

If this new biology content piques your interest, you might enjoy this comparative anatomy lesson plan created by Dr. Cindy Harley of Metropolitan State University!

3. Study better with Flashcards

Flashcards are a tried-and-true, popular study method—and VB Suite’s 3D Flashcards are a hit with students and instructors alike! With VB Suite, users can access a robust library of premade Flashcard Decks to study in a flash. 

Flashcards in VB Suite.

Want to make your own Deck? With the Draw tool and the auto-labeling feature, Flashcards are easy to create and customize! 

Speaking of custom content, Tours are now easier to edit, create, and find. You can also add tags to custom content so you can find your Tours, Views, Flashcards, and Decks in a jiffy. 

Check out Visible Body's premade Flashcard Decks and Tours! You can also get some teaching inspiration here: 10 Creative Uses for Flashcards in Visible Body Suite.

4. New accessibility features

With accessibility in mind, the Visible Body Team has rolled out a new Listen button that uses text to speech technology—just hit the megaphone icon and your computer or mobile device will read definitions and pathology information aloud! Additionally, VB Suite fully supports dark mode, which reduces eyestrain. 

VB Suite can also generate QR codes to make mobile learning even easier! Users can generate QR codes for views, Tours, and Flashcard Decks. 

Learn more with these blog posts: Listen Up: New Accessibility Features Released in Visible Body Suite and 3 Ways to Use QR Codes in the Classroom with Visible Body Suite.

5. Find content faster

Not only does VB Suite feature more content, but it’s even easier to find it. 

Our gross anatomy models have a couple new features as well—a “glass” reference body shows exactly where a structure is located, and you can now view muscle origin and insertion markings on the full skeleton view.

Cerebellum view with glass reference body in VB Suite.

The Systems Tray gives users more control over the anatomy they see, and VB Suite’s Systems Tray is even more precise: users can add and remove muscles by layer and select which regions the Systems Tray affects. 

6. You’ll get the latest updates and improvements

If your institution subscribes to VB Suite, you will get immediate access to new content and features! In 2023 alone, there were over a dozen releases added to the VB Suite database. 

Want a little peek behind the scenes? We are working on even more accessibility features for web and mobile use, and we’re also releasing new embryology models soon. 

It’s time to switch!

With VB Suite, your institution can access all of this fantastic new content and more.

For a complete list of additional features and content or to make the switch to VB Suite, contact the Visible Body Education Team! 

Be sure to subscribe to the Visible Body Blog for more anatomy awesomeness! 

Are you an instructor? We have award-winning 3D products and resources for your anatomy and physiology course! Learn more here.