Subject: Re: CCL:Question About Structure/Viewing Software

From: Barry Isralewitz <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 14:14:10 -0500 (CDT)

Hello,

re:
  Also, I have a PDB-type file
> generated by using AMBER, and I want to prepare a 3D image that can be
> pasted into Microsoft Word 97 as well as PowerPoint for the purpose of
> publication.

	As you may have seen recently on this list, the 3D molecule
viewer "VMD" has just come out in a new release.  VMD (which is free
academic software) is about the best program for studying 3D molecular
features I've come across, thanks to some excellent interface design
decisions and its performance on playing back trajectories of dynamics
simulations.  Advanced users even have the option of using the
scripting language TCL to easily add features / do analysis while VMD
is running.  The interactive onscreen images themselves are
publication quality; VMD also works with several raytracers to make
extra-beautiful pictures. See:

        http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/

	Plus, after years of Unix existence, its recently been ported
to Windows !  VMD performance on a Windows box with a modern gaming
card (Voodoo, etc) is shockingly good, even compared to a new
workstation like the Sun Ultra 10/Elite3D.

[Ob. bias admission: my office is about 200 feet from that of the chief
VMD developers!]

					Cheers,

					Barry

---
Barry Isralewitz     Theoretical Biophysics Group    Beckman 3121
Office Phone: (217) 244-1612     Home Phone: (217) 337-6364
email: [email-masked]     http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/~barryi