Export silhouettes as SVG?
Hi, Probably low on the priority list, but I wonder if it would be possible in the future to add an option to export silhouettes (if present) in a vector format such as SVG? This would be incredibly useful when attempting to make realistic schematic figures, and creating scalable assets that can be reused in multiple figures, e.g. generic amino acids, lipids, surface representations of particular proteins, etc. Cheers Oli
Hi Oliver, You are good at coming up with useful ideas that require lots of work! Unfortunately silhouettes are generated as a raster image using edge detection on a pixel by pixel basis in an OpenGL shader program. It would require a totally different approach to produce scalable vector graphics — a geometric analysis of triangles making up the scene. There would be no common code between these two methods. Still it is an interesting idea. Tom
On May 23, 2017, at 9:50 AM, Oliver Clarke wrote:
Hi,
Probably low on the priority list, but I wonder if it would be possible in the future to add an option to export silhouettes (if present) in a vector format such as SVG? This would be incredibly useful when attempting to make realistic schematic figures, and creating scalable assets that can be reused in multiple figures, e.g. generic amino acids, lipids, surface representations of particular proteins, etc.
Cheers Oli _______________________________________________ ChimeraX-users mailing list ChimeraX-users@cgl.ucsf.edu Manage subscription: http://www.rbvi.ucsf.edu/mailman/listinfo/chimerax-users
As a workaround, you might try saving a bitmap image of the edges detected by Chimera (e.g. set bgColor white; color #1 white; lighting flat ambientIntensity 2; save ~/lines.png), then convert that to a vector graphic by thresholding or Canny detection in a program like Inkscape. This seems to give sensible paths, even for complicated outlines. On Tue, May 23, 2017 at 7:57 PM Tom Goddard <goddard@sonic.net> wrote:
Hi Oliver,
You are good at coming up with useful ideas that require lots of work! Unfortunately silhouettes are generated as a raster image using edge detection on a pixel by pixel basis in an OpenGL shader program. It would require a totally different approach to produce scalable vector graphics — a geometric analysis of triangles making up the scene. There would be no common code between these two methods. Still it is an interesting idea.
Tom
On May 23, 2017, at 9:50 AM, Oliver Clarke wrote:
Hi,
Probably low on the priority list, but I wonder if it would be possible in the future to add an option to export silhouettes (if present) in a vector format such as SVG? This would be incredibly useful when attempting to make realistic schematic figures, and creating scalable assets that can be reused in multiple figures, e.g. generic amino acids, lipids, surface representations of particular proteins, etc.
Cheers Oli _______________________________________________ ChimeraX-users mailing list ChimeraX-users@cgl.ucsf.edu Manage subscription: http://www.rbvi.ucsf.edu/mailman/listinfo/chimerax-users
_______________________________________________ ChimeraX-users mailing list ChimeraX-users@cgl.ucsf.edu Manage subscription: http://www.rbvi.ucsf.edu/mailman/listinfo/chimerax-users
participants (3)
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Aaron Lewis -
Oliver Clarke -
Tom Goddard