Online tools to easily build virtual molecular models for display in augmented and virtual reality on the web

【Author】 Rodriguez, Fabio Cortes; Dal Peraro, Matteo; Abriata, Luciano A.

【Source】JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR GRAPHICS & MODELLING

【影响因子】2.942

【Abstract】Several groups developed in the last years augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) software to visualize 3D molecules, most rather static, limited in content, and requiring software installs, some even requiring expensive hardware. We launched in 2020 moleculARweb (https://molecularweb.epfl.ch), a website that offers interactive content for chemistry and structural biology education through commodity web-based AR that works on consumer devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops. Among thousands of users, teachers increasingly request more biological macromolecules to be available, a demand that we cannot address individually. Therefore, to allow users to build their own material, we built a web interface where they can create online AR experiences in few steps starting from Protein Data Bank, AlphaFold or custom uploaded structures, or from virtual objects/ scenes exported from the Visual Molecular Dynamics program, without any programming knowledge. The web tool also returns WebXR sessions for viewing and manipulating the models in WebXR-compatible devices including smartphones, tablets, and also immersive VR headsets with WebXR-capable browsers, where models can be manipulated even with bare hands when supported by the device. The tool is accessible for free at https:// molecularweb.epfl.ch/pages/pdb2ar.html.

【Keywords】Molecular graphics; Molecular modeling; Augmented reality; Virtual reality; Metaverse; Stem education; Science communication; webXR; Web programming

【发表时间】2022 JUL

【收录时间】2022-08-09

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