sharing digital skeleton models

[David Krentz <ddkrentz@charter.net>]

  I have seen several scientists using hi resolution digital models  
( scanned or modeled) in their research.  If these models are exact  
representations of specimens used for studying biomechanics and not  
the physicality of the bones themselves could these models be shared  
with institutions the same way bone collections are?
 I assume that since an institution paid for the creation of the  
model they might want to benefit from their investment.  But, at the  
same time institutions pay for excavations and share the bones with  
other researchers ( is there a fee for doing that?  I dunno... I'm  
just an artist).  I'm a little unclear on the courtesy and practice of  
sharing data in that way.  For instance, If guy A scanned all the  
bones of a ceratopsian to study its locomotion, could guy B from  
another university use the same scan to come up with their own study  
without having to recreate his own digital model?  Making a new model  
would add a big degree of variation and may be inaccurate if the funds  
were not available to make as comprehensive model as guy A.

  In other words, how can I get my hands on one of the great digital  
skeletons to conduct scientific (or in my case amateur) experiments?

David Krentz