Hi Mitch, As mentioned in these <https://mail.cgl.ucsf.edu/mailman/archives/list/chimerax-users@cgl.ucsf.edu/...> previous <https://mail.cgl.ucsf.edu/mailman/archives/list/chimerax-users@cgl.ucsf.edu/...> mailing-list messages, the general plan of attack would be to open or generate a hexamer structure that is centered around the Z axis and then use the "align" command to match one atom from each of your monomers with an atom of the corresponding "reference" monomers. Nonetheless, it should be simpler / more obvious how to accomplish this task, so I am going to open an RFE for an "align axis" command to carry out this kind of operation. --Eric Eric Pettersen UCSF Computer Graphics Lab
On Feb 24, 2026, at 1:36 PM, Mitch Murphy <alphataubio@gmail.com> wrote:
please help i cant figure out how to align a complicated set of models so the barrell of my hexameric ion channel is aligned along z axis and centered at 0,0,0 to save a pdb

close cd /Users/mitch/github/hmx/jahani/egfrv3 log clear
# ---------------- tmCLIC1 ----------------
open ../charmmgui-clic1/step1_pdbreader.pdb id 99 center 0,0,0 color :1-23 blue color :24-58 green color :59-241 red
torsion :25@c:26@n,ca,c -60; torsion :26@n,ca,c:27@n -45 torsion :26@c:27@n,ca,c -60; torsion :27@n,ca,c:28@n -45 torsion :27@c:28@n,ca,c -60; torsion :28@n,ca,c:29@n -45 torsion :28@c:29@n,ca,c -60; torsion :29@n,ca,c:30@n -45 torsion :29@c:30@n,ca,c -60; torsion :30@n,ca,c:31@n -45 torsion :30@c:31@n,ca,c -60; torsion :31@n,ca,c:32@n -45 torsion :31@c:32@n,ca,c -60; torsion :32@n,ca,c:33@n -45 torsion :32@c:33@n,ca,c -60; torsion :33@n,ca,c:34@n -45 torsion :33@c:34@n,ca,c -60; torsion :34@n,ca,c:35@n -45 torsion :34@c:35@n,ca,c -60; torsion :35@n,ca,c:36@n -45 torsion :35@c:36@n,ca,c -60; torsion :36@n,ca,c:37@n -45 torsion :36@c:37@n,ca,c -60; torsion :37@n,ca,c:38@n -45 torsion :37@c:38@n,ca,c -60; torsion :38@n,ca,c:39@n -45 torsion :38@c:39@n,ca,c -60; torsion :39@n,ca,c:40@n -45 torsion :39@c:40@n,ca,c -60; torsion :40@n,ca,c:41@n -45 torsion :40@c:41@n,ca,c -60; torsion :41@n,ca,c:42@n -45 torsion :41@c:42@n,ca,c -60; torsion :42@n,ca,c:43@n -45 torsion :42@c:43@n,ca,c -60; torsion :43@n,ca,c:44@n -45 torsion :43@c:44@n,ca,c -60; torsion :44@n,ca,c:45@n -45 torsion :44@c:45@n,ca,c -60; torsion :45@n,ca,c:46@n -45 torsion :45@c:46@n,ca,c -60; torsion :46@n,ca,c:47@n -45 torsion :46@c:47@n,ca,c -60; torsion :47@n,ca,c:48@n -45 torsion :47@c:48@n,ca,c -60; torsion :48@n,ca,c:49@n -45 torsion :48@c:49@n,ca,c -60; torsion :49@n,ca,c:50@n -45 torsion :49@c:50@n,ca,c -60; torsion :50@n,ca,c:51@n -45 torsion :50@c:51@n,ca,c -60; torsion :51@n,ca,c:52@n -45 torsion :51@c:52@n,ca,c -60; torsion :52@n,ca,c:53@n -45 torsion :52@c:53@n,ca,c -60; torsion :53@n,ca,c:54@n -45 torsion :53@c:54@n,ca,c -60; torsion :54@n,ca,c:55@n -45 torsion :54@c:55@n,ca,c -60; torsion :55@n,ca,c:56@n -45 torsion :55@c:56@n,ca,c -60; torsion :56@n,ca,c:57@n -45 torsion :56@c:57@n,ca,c -60; torsion :57@n,ca,c:58@n -45 torsion :57@c:58@n,ca,c -60; torsion :58@n,ca,c:59@n -45
torsion :22@c:23@n,ca,c 60
sym #99 C6 center :17 axis :24,58@ca newModel true setattr #1.1 chains chain_id A create true setattr #1.2 chains chain_id B create true setattr #1.3 chains chain_id C create true setattr #1.4 chains chain_id D create true setattr #1.5 chains chain_id E create true setattr #1.6 chains chain_id F create true
delete #99
rename #1 tmCLIC1 rename #1.1 tmCLIC1-A rename #1.2 tmCLIC1-B rename #1.3 tmCLIC1-C rename #1.4 tmCLIC1-D rename #1.5 tmCLIC1-E rename #1.6 tmCLIC1-F
# ---------------- EGFRv3 ----------------
#runscript egfrv3_v1.cxc
# ---------------- OSMR ----------------
open Q99650 fromDatabase alphafold version 6 id 3.1 center 0,0,0
torsion #3.1:804@c:805@n,ca,c 60; torsion #3.1:805@n,ca,c:806@n 45 torsion #3.1:805@c:806@n,ca,c -120; torsion #3.1:806@n,ca,c:807@n 130 torsion #3.1:806@c:807@n,ca,c -120; torsion #3.1:807@n,ca,c:808@n 130 torsion #3.1:807@c:808@n,ca,c -120; torsion #3.1:808@n,ca,c:809@n 130 torsion #3.1:808@c:809@n,ca,c -120; torsion #3.1:809@n,ca,c:810@n 130 delete #3.1:836-979
rename #3 OSMR rename #3.1 OSMR-I combine #3.1 modelid 3.2 name OSMR-J setattr #3.1 chains chain_id I create true setattr #3.2 chains chain_id J create true
turn x 270 models #3 turn z 180 models #3.1 move y 90 models #3 move x 200 models #3.1 move x -200 models #3.2
# ---------------- DISPLAY ----------------
delete ~protein rainbow #1-3 structures palette Paired-12 surface #1-3 transparency 0.5
move x 5.08443251 models #1 move y -47.21837099 models #1 move z -14.00102839 models #1
#turn x -67.233 models #1 center 0,0,0 #turn y -31.805 models #1 center 0,0,0 #turn z -69.036 models #1 center 0,0,0
define axis #1 primary false tertiary true radius 1 padding 100 id 4.1
define axis frompoint -300,0,0 topoint 300,0,0 color red id 4.2 define axis frompoint 0,-300,0 topoint 0,300,0 color green id 4.3 define axis frompoint 0,0,-300 topoint 0,0,300 color blue id 4.4
view position #1 sameAsModels #4.4
angle #4.1 #4.2 angle #4.1 #4.3 angle #4.1 #4.4
