[Chimera-users] Smooth Surface

[Elaine Meng]

Hi Sudheer,
The "image tips" page gives several hints for preparing images,  
including making surfaces smooth:
<http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/chimera/docs/UsersGuide/print.html#tips>

However, for maps it only says to use Volume Viewer and does not give  
the details, so I will give them here:
- in Volume Viewer's menu choose "Features... Surface and Mesh options"
- that will put more options on the dialog, including "Surface  
smoothing iterations..." "Subdivide surface..." that you can try  
adjusting to smooth the surface

You can also adjust those same settings using the surface and mesh  
display options of the "volume" command:
<http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/chimera/docs/UsersGuide/midas/volume.html>

If you save images directly from Chimera instead of raytracing, you  
can also make everything look smoother by using glossy lighting.  If  
available (not all computers can do it), it can be turned on with the  
"set" command or in the Lighting tool.
I hope this helps,
Elaine
-----
Elaine C. Meng, Ph.D.                          meng at cgl.ucsf.edu
UCSF Computer Graphics Lab and Babbitt Lab
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
University of California, San Francisco
                      http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/home/meng/index.html



On Feb 3, 2010, at 12:32 PM, sudheer molugu wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I've installed the latest chimera version. I wanted take pov-ray  
> pictures of a cryo-EM map. I would greatly appreciate if you can  
> help me in make the map surface smooth. I couldn't find the option  
> for smooth surface.
>
> Thank you,
> Sudheer.