Hi Morgan, We hope to have a snapshot Chimera release later this week. I'll try to get VRML output of multi-scale and msms surfaces in that release. Snapshot releases aren't as well tested as production releases, but are intended for trying out new features like this. Tom PS: Your email does not go to chimera-users unless you explicitly CC it to that list. We like to post to that list so others can benefit from it. I've included your email below and CC'ed this to chimera-users. Let me know if you want to keep your email private.

From: Morgan Ryan <mryan1@nc.rr.com> Subject: Re: [Chimera-users] Chimera export to VRML? Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 14:35:27 -0500

Thanks, Thomas. (Am I broadcasting to the list? I'm not sure if I'm talking to a list or just you and Eric Petterson...)

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For a large structure like a ribosome the VRML file ...might have a million triangles, and the file will at least be 30 megabytes.

The 3D programs I use have fairly refined mesh management tools for reducing complexity selectively, although being able to choose the mesh density directly through MSMS would be pleasing.

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You can choose the resolution of the multi-scale surfaces. We don't currently have VRML output for the multi-scale surfaces but that could be added fairly easily. I could look into that.

The advantage of VRML output (or 3dmf, or dxf, or some other interchange format) is that you could open the model in Maya, Studio Max, Strata, Cinema 4D, any of the 3D animation programs, and make startling movies wiith Hollywood special effects--light sabers! Atomic-resolution recreations of enzyme reaction mechanisms! (The latter is what I'm working on...)

It would be a wonderful extension of Chimera if VRML output were added. Morgan