A Display of Biopolymer Using Virtual Reality Modeling Language

Abstract

A molecular graphics program 'Modrast-P' was extended in its function which generates a Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) format. By using this function, the data of the molecular model displayed on Modrast-P are converted to a VRML format and can be displayed on a WWW browser. It has various representations, for example, whole structure of space-filling model (Figure 1), ball-and-stick model, and backbone model (Figures 2, 3), backbone model with specified part as spacefilling model (Figure 4), and enlarged ball-and-stick models of a part of compounds (Figures 5, 6). A platform-independent VRML file generated by this program is very efficient for the exchange of molecular information through the computer network.