We are building a World Wide Web-based metalloprotein database searcher and 3-D site viewer, which we call the Metalloprotein Site Browser.

Through the Site Browser, scientists anywhere can search our growing database of selected metal sites, in an interactive near-real time manner.

Metalloprotein Site Browser, with its main parts highlighted

3-D Viewer's View tab:

Transform box:

Previews mouse drag effect on view, useful for slow computers or large models.

Magnify region:

Lets you drag a rectangle for selecting desired view portion.

Stereo display:

Side-by-side. Default is wall-eye, move slider to left for cross-eye.

Previous:

Redraw the scene with the previous view point. Only one previous view is saved; using the funcition twice will result in the original view.

Zoom to model/all:

If you accidentally zoom or translate the 3-D view so that you can not longer see anything, these will restore it. Zoom model will consider only the first currently selected model when zooming, Zoom all considers all.

Float viewer:

Liberate the 3-D viewer from your web browser confines! You can then resize it, and eventualy put it back into the web browser frame. Just be sure to keep track of all the floating windows.

3-D Viewer's Picking tab:

Pick Atom:

Distance, angle, and dihedral measurements. Move the mouse over for a tentative look at what will be picked, click to select the atom

Pick Model:

Identification and selection (relayed to the Model Manager). Mouse over causes a tentative selection, clicking will select the model

Proximity Picking

Selects atoms within the specified radius. Mouse over shows tentative selection, clicking will draw lines to all atoms in the proximity

3-D Viewer's Labels tab:

Turn atom labels on and off.

3-D Viewer's Options tab:

Rack and Pinion Rotation

Mouse motions are interpreted uniformly across the view, as if one is holding onto a rectangular rack that is meshed to a spherical pinion in the center of the view.

Trackball Rotation

Mouse motions are interpreted as if one is holding onto the surface or a spherical ball with a certain radius. Dragging the mouse outside of this radius results in a pure z rotation, as if the track ball was surrounded by a saucer that may spin about its center.

Legacy Zooming

Traditional zooming method that is interpreted uniformly across the veiw. Zooming in: move up/right. Zoom out: move down/left.

Radial Zooming

Zooming is proportional to radial change form the center of the view. This means that moving the mouse radialy will cause anything under the cursor to follow.

Inertial Transforms

If the mouse button is lifted durring a drag while the mouse is still moving the view point will continue to change as it was before the mouse was lifted.

Animate Jumps

Any function that would cause the view point to instanly move to another position is smoothly interpolated.