[Chimera-users] Automatic struts for 3D printing?

[Hurt, Darrell (NIH/NIAID) [E]]

Hi everyone,

We are assembling an open data portal or "exchange" for producing "ready-to-3D-print" files for biological molecules, EM data, and other imaging data using some automated pipelines. A little bit more on our project can be found here:
http://www.hhs.gov/open/initiatives/ignite/3d-printing-exchange.html

A few years ago this came up on the "dev" discussion board:
http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/pipermail/chimera-dev/2011/000800.html

In the email thread above, it mentions a script by George Phillips called "struts.py" that was modified for use in RasMol. I am familiar with his version of this script for PyMOL. It works very well and I have been using it for years. However, the VRML from PyMOL is sometimes buggy. I like the exports from Chimera much better, including the X3D2VRML and X3D2STL utilities. If I could get the same functionality of this "struts" script in Chimera, that would be one less thing I need to go to PyMOL for (the list is getting shorter and shorter!).

We're looking at doing it here, but I would welcome any contribution from the Chimera community if something already exists. Do you have anything? Is this script something of interest? Anyone interested in contributing to our "exchange" database/web portal? I would love any feedback you might have.

Thanks,
Darrell

--
Darrell Hurt, Ph.D.
Section Head, Computational Biology
Bioinformatics and Computational Biosciences Branch (BCBB)
OCICB/OSMO/OD/NIAID/NIH

31 Center Drive, Room 3B62B, MSC 2135
Bethesda, MD 20892-2135
Office: 301-402-0095
Mobile: 301-758-3559
Web: BCBB Home Page<http://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/organization/odoffices/omo/ocicb/Pages/bcbb.aspx#niaid_inlineNav_Anchor>
Twitter: @niaidbioit<https://twitter.com/niaidbioit>

Disclaimer: The information in this e-mail and any of its attachments is confidential and may contain sensitive information. It should not be used by anyone who is not the original intended recipient. If you have received this e-mail in error please inform the sender and delete it from your mailbox or any other storage devices. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases shall not accept liability for any statements made that are sender's own and not expressly made on behalf of the NIAID by one of its representatives.