[Pipet Devel] AMMP & 3D veiwers (Greg & SooHaeng)

[greg waltz]

On Mon, 12 Apr 1999, J.W. Bizzaro wrote:

> Greg and SooHaeng,
> 
> If you have been following some of our recent discussions, you know that we will
> not be making stand-alone programs.  Our molecule viewer will be like a plug-in
> to the Loci Browser.

ok. i'll go back and check the mail. did you decide how you want the
plug-in interface to be? ie. what we would have to supply ( init, draw
molecule, mode, etc.) and if we'd be using gmodule or something.

> 
> What we need then is a plug-in engine for drawing molecules in OpenGL.  I know
> that SooHaeng has DND, which will draw some simple molecule representations. 
> Greg has experience with OpenGL.  What we are missing are some more elaborate
> representations.
> 
> I found a GPL program that does some very nice representations, but it has no
> real GUI.  It's called, "Another Molecular Mechanics Program":
> 
>     http://asterix.jci.tju.edu/ammp.html
> 
> Can we make this a plug-in to the Loci Browser?  I would like help with this,
> Greg and SooHaeng.
> 

i'll take a look soon. i'll be busy from now until the second week of may
or so ( finals :P ).

> Greg, I need your help with an OpenGL trick:
> 
>     Can a 3D object be represented as a line drawing?  I don't mean wireframe.
>     I mean take a raytraced object and draw a black-and-white cartoon, like
>     black ink on white paper.  So, hard edges and "horizons" are drawn as lines.

probably, do you mean a bitmap representation? ( line art, half tone,
etc.) maybe you have an example picture?

opengl does more than just 3D, it performs alot of 2D functions. you could
probably write something like the gimp with it, but why would you want to?
anyway, opengl probably has something to do what you want or we can make
it do it.

later