The Rendering section is located in the Style panel, and provides options for customizing the look of the Structure view.
The following video is a brief walkthrough showing how to apply a different rendering style to highlight features of interest:
Opening the Rendering section:
Do either of the following:
- Click the expand bar entitled Rendering
- Use View > Style > Rendering
Using the Rendering section:
| Task | How To |
|---|---|
| To globally change the appearance of a structural category (backbone, side chains, or ligands and water) in the Structure view | Make sure nothing is selected by double-clicking on the background of the Structure view. Select the desired rendering styles for each category (Backbone, Side Chains, Ligands and Water) from the corresponding drop-down menus. To view samples of each rendering style, see Examples of rendering styles. If the molecule is particularly large, note that some styles may take noticeably longer to update than others. |
| To change the appearance of a selected region | Make a selection in the Structure or Sequence view or in the Explorer panel. Select a new rendering style from one of the available menus. Rendering options will vary depending on what is included in your selection. |
| To display axes for the structure | Check the Show Euclidean Axes box. If you are rotating a structure, checking this box can allow you to compare the current position of the molecule to the original orientation. |
| To change the type of surface in the Structure view | Select the surface in the Surfaces section, then use the Surfaces drop-down menu in the Rendering section to choose between Molecular surface and Solvent accessible surface. See Examples of surface types for a visual comparison of these types. |
| To change the quality of a surface in the Structure view | Select the surface in the Surfaces section. Then, in the Rendering section to the right of Quality, click Fast for fastest surface rending with the least detail; Normal for average quality; or High for the slowest but most detailed rendering. See Examples of surface types for a visual comparison of the three options. |
| To change the rendering of a surface in the Structure view | Select the surface in the Surfaces section. Then, in the Rendering section, make a selection using the drop-down menu above the Transparency slider. Select Solid for solid rendering, Mesh to display only the structure framework, or Points to show only the outline of the structure using dots. See Examples of surface types for a visual comparison of these surface rendering styles. |
| To change the transparency of a surface in the Structure view | Select the surface in the Surfaces section. Then, in the Rendering section, use the Transparency slider to make the surface more or less transparent. See See Examples of surface types for a visual comparison of an opaque and a semi-transparent surface. |
*Note: Depending on the size of the structure, changes that affect the surface type and quality may take time for Protean 3D to calculate. In this case, a progress bar will appear in the Details column on the Surfaces section.
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