Annotating PDB Files with Scene Information

G.S. Couch, E.F. Pettersen, C.C. Huang, and T.E. Ferrin

Computer Graphics Laboratory
University of California
San Francisco, CA 94143-0446

ABSTRACT

We have implemented extensions to the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank (PDB) file format for incorporating scene information such as viewing parameters, additional molecular information (e.g., van der Waals radii and atom colors) and user-defined graphics. These extensions were made in conformance with the PDB standard and provide sufficient information to render the scene in various styles such as space-filling images and ribbon diagrams. For the past 5 years these extensions have been used in the MidasPlus molecular modeling system and have proved both powerful and sufficient for generating complex molecular images. We propose that the extensions to the PDB presented here be adopted by the molecular modeling community for incorporation into visualization programs.

A reprint of this paper is available on request or an abbreviated version is available as an electronic poster.


tef@cgl.ucsf.edu / June 1995