  Owing to their intricate variable density architecture, and as a principal
site of star formation, molecular clouds represent one of the most functionally
significant, yet least understood features of our universe. To unravel the
intrinsic structural complexity of molecular clouds, here we leverage the power
of high-resolution bitmap-based 3D printing, which provides the opportunity to
visualize astrophysical structures in a way that uniquely taps into the human
brain's ability to recognize patterns suppressed in 2D representations. Using a
new suite of nine simulations, each representing different physical extremes in
the turbulent interstellar medium, as our source data, our workflow permits the
unambiguous visualization of features in the 3D-printed models, such as
quasi-planar structures, that are frequently obscured in traditional renderings
and animations. Our bitmap-based 3D printing approach thus faithfully
reproduces the subtle density gradient distribution within molecular clouds in
a tangible, intuitive, and visually stunning manner. While laying the
groundwork for the intuitive analysis of other structurally complex
astronomical data sets, our 3D-printed models also serve as valuable tools in
educational and public outreach endeavors.
