Thanks, Scott! Regarding the problem of poor Powerpoint lighting of GLTF (GLB) files, this was discussed at a recent meeting where I was trying to take notes.
Chimera does not output this format, only ChimeraX, so I'm just including the chimerax-users list on this post.
It was difficult to keep up with the discussion and I have not tried any of these solutions myself, but to the best of my recollection these two approaches were mentioned:
(A) before exporting GLB from ChimeraX, shifting the colors in ChimeraX to compensate using ChimeraX command "color modify" https://rbvi.ucsf.edu/chimerax/docs/user/commands/color.html#modify
I'd written "lightness" as the modification in the notes, but not sure I heard the discussion correctly, so it might be one of the other options (saturation, whiteness, etc.)
(B) "hacking" Powerpoint itself to delete its poor lighting as per the answer in this thread https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/3d-model-lighting-inside-powerpoint/d0c0c316-8019-4c25-b0f6-86500e512f91
There was also this post suggesting that transparency doesn't work either: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/powerpoint-uses-gltf-but-doesnt-support/002d1f4e-061d-4ab6-a692-ed217945724a
I hope this helps, Elaine ----- Elaine C. Meng, Ph.D. UCSF Chimera(X) team Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry University of California, San Francisco
On Apr 8, 2024, at 2:24 AM, Scott White via Chimera-users chimera-users@cgl.ucsf.edu wrote:
Prathvi,
I know this isn't answering directly your question, but might be useful.
Aside from making and inserting a short .mp4 movie into your PowerPoint, the newer versions of PowerPoint now allow insertion of rotatable 3D objects (PowerPoint > Insert > 3D Models > your-file.glb). It's ok if all you want is a short 360 degree spin (PowerPoint > Animations > Turntable) or a rock'n'roll (PowerPoint > Animations > Swing). The main issue is the default lighting when exporting glb files from ChimeraX is far from optimal for this purpose, although showing your model in sphere style can be "usable". Inserting an mp4 movie still gives a more satisfying result.
Inserting glb files downloaded from Sketchfab works very well with PowerPoint, so it is the glb from ChimeraX that gives less than optimal results, at least in my hands.
Or perhaps others have a good tip for lighting settings...
One note of caution - if using rotatable glb files in your PowerPoint presentation, make sure the lectern computer in the lecture theatre has a compatible version of PowerPoint - or always use your own laptop.
Scott
Dr Scott A. White SFHEA School of Biosciences, Room T716 University of Birmingham, B15 2TT E: s.a.white@bham.ac.uk T: +44-(0)121-414-7534
Office Hours Generally Tues 10am - 11am, Wed 3 pm - 4 pm Please contact me for an appointment. ______________________________________
From: Prathvi Singh via ChimeraX-users chimerax-users@cgl.ucsf.edu Sent: 05 April 2024 12:09 To: Greg Couch gregc@cgl.ucsf.edu Cc: chimera-users@cgl.ucsf.edu List chimera-users@cgl.ucsf.edu; ChimeraX Users Help chimerax-users@cgl.ucsf.edu Subject: [chimerax-users] Re: [Chimera-users] Opening chimera within MS powerpoint CAUTION: This email originated from outside the organisation. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and know the content is safe. Thank you Elaine and Greg for your responses!
On Sat, Mar 9, 2024 at 5:08 AM Greg Couch gregc@cgl.ucsf.edu wrote: If you can put your presentation on a web page, ChimeraX's help command can display that web page in the help viewer. And that web page could have embedded ChimeraX commands that control ChimeraX. Look at the ChimeraX tutorials for examples of how it's done. So not Microsoft Powerpoint, but maybe Google Slides. -- Greg On 3/8/2024 6:37 AM, Prathvi Singh via Chimera-users wrote:
Hi Elaine,
I was wondering whether it it possible (either directly or via a plugin) to open a UCSF chimera/chimeraX window within a Microsoft powerpoint slide so that I can open a PDB file directly within the slide and perform different types of operations (showing distance between 2 atoms which someone from the audience demanded to know, for example)?
This way, I would be able to satisfy the doubts of the audience without breaking the flow of the presentation.
Thank you,
Prathvi Singh, Research Fellow, Department of Biological Sciences & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur-208016