Black screen

[rob@…]

The following bug report has been submitted:
Platform:        macOS-10.15.7-x86_64-i386-64bit
ChimeraX Version: 1.2.4 (2021-05-14 07:23:00 UTC)
Description
On -very- first start, laoding a PDB file just showed black screen.  Clicked around not knowing what I was doing, gave up and went to current stable release.  This came up on 'recent' window so could see structure and all well for both after that - so somehow initial settings on very first install not showing structure and so not intuitive to new user.

Log:
UCSF ChimeraX version: 1.2.4 (2021-05-14)  
© 2016-2021 Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.  
How to cite UCSF ChimeraX  




OpenGL version: 4.1 ATI-3.10.19
OpenGL renderer: AMD Radeon R9 M380 OpenGL Engine
OpenGL vendor: ATI Technologies Inc.Hardware:

    Hardware Overview:

      Model Name: iMac
      Model Identifier: iMac17,1
      Processor Name: Quad-Core Intel Core i5
      Processor Speed: 3.2 GHz
      Number of Processors: 1
      Total Number of Cores: 4
      L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
      L3 Cache: 6 MB
      Memory: 32 GB
      Boot ROM Version: 429.100.7.0.0
      SMC Version (system): 2.33f12

Software:

    System Software Overview:

      System Version: macOS 10.15.7 (19H1030)
      Kernel Version: Darwin 19.6.0
      Time since boot: 2 days 3:33

Graphics/Displays:

    AMD Radeon R9 M380:

      Chipset Model: AMD Radeon R9 M380
      Type: GPU
      Bus: PCIe
      PCIe Lane Width: x16
      VRAM (Total): 2 GB
      Vendor: AMD (0x1002)
      Device ID: 0x6640
      Revision ID: 0x0080
      ROM Revision: 113-C6005R-800
      VBIOS Version: 113-C6005T-009
      EFI Driver Version: 01.00.800
      Metal: Supported, feature set macOS GPUFamily2 v1
      Displays:
        iMac:
          Display Type: Built-In Retina LCD
          Resolution: 5120 x 2880 Retina
          Framebuffer Depth: 30-Bit Color (ARGB2101010)
          Main Display: Yes
          Mirror: Off
          Online: Yes
          Automatically Adjust Brightness: No
          Connection Type: Internal
        S22B300:
          Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (1080p FHD - Full High Definition)
          UI Looks like: 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz
          Framebuffer Depth: 30-Bit Color (ARGB2101010)
          Mirror: Off
          Online: Yes
          Rotation: Supported
          Automatically Adjust Brightness: No
        S22B300:
          Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (1080p FHD - Full High Definition)
          UI Looks like: 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz
          Framebuffer Depth: 30-Bit Color (ARGB2101010)
          Mirror: Off
          Online: Yes
          Rotation: Supported
          Automatically Adjust Brightness: No

Locale: (None, 'UTF-8')
PyQt5 5.15.2, Qt 5.15.2
Installed Packages:
    alabaster: 0.7.12
    appdirs: 1.4.4
    appnope: 0.1.2
    Babel: 2.9.1
    backcall: 0.2.0
    blockdiag: 2.0.1
    certifi: 2020.12.5
    cftime: 1.4.1
    chardet: 3.0.4
    ChimeraX-AddCharge: 1.0
    ChimeraX-AddH: 2.1.6
    ChimeraX-AlignmentAlgorithms: 2.0
    ChimeraX-AlignmentHdrs: 3.2
    ChimeraX-AlignmentMatrices: 2.0
    ChimeraX-Alignments: 2.1
    ChimeraX-AmberInfo: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Arrays: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Atomic: 1.13.3
    ChimeraX-AtomicLibrary: 3.1.3
    ChimeraX-AtomSearch: 2.0
    ChimeraX-AtomSearchLibrary: 1.0
    ChimeraX-AxesPlanes: 2.0
    ChimeraX-BasicActions: 1.1
    ChimeraX-BILD: 1.0
    ChimeraX-BlastProtein: 1.1
    ChimeraX-BondRot: 2.0
    ChimeraX-BugReporter: 1.0
    ChimeraX-BuildStructure: 2.5.2
    ChimeraX-Bumps: 1.0
    ChimeraX-BundleBuilder: 1.1
    ChimeraX-ButtonPanel: 1.0
    ChimeraX-CageBuilder: 1.0
    ChimeraX-CellPack: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Centroids: 1.1
    ChimeraX-ChemGroup: 2.0
    ChimeraX-Clashes: 2.1
    ChimeraX-ColorActions: 1.0
    ChimeraX-ColorGlobe: 1.0
    ChimeraX-ColorKey: 1.2.1
    ChimeraX-CommandLine: 1.1.4
    ChimeraX-ConnectStructure: 2.0
    ChimeraX-Contacts: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Core: 1.2.4
    ChimeraX-CoreFormats: 1.0
    ChimeraX-coulombic: 1.1.1
    ChimeraX-Crosslinks: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Crystal: 1.0
    ChimeraX-CrystalContacts: 1.0
    ChimeraX-DataFormats: 1.1
    ChimeraX-Dicom: 1.0
    ChimeraX-DistMonitor: 1.1.3
    ChimeraX-DistUI: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Dssp: 2.0
    ChimeraX-EMDB-SFF: 1.0
    ChimeraX-ExperimentalCommands: 1.0
    ChimeraX-FileHistory: 1.0
    ChimeraX-FunctionKey: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Geometry: 1.1
    ChimeraX-gltf: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Graphics: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Hbonds: 2.1
    ChimeraX-Help: 1.1
    ChimeraX-HKCage: 1.3
    ChimeraX-IHM: 1.0
    ChimeraX-ImageFormats: 1.1
    ChimeraX-IMOD: 1.0
    ChimeraX-IO: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Label: 1.0
    ChimeraX-ListInfo: 1.1.1
    ChimeraX-Log: 1.1.2
    ChimeraX-LookingGlass: 1.1
    ChimeraX-Maestro: 1.8.1
    ChimeraX-Map: 1.0.2
    ChimeraX-MapData: 2.0
    ChimeraX-MapEraser: 1.0
    ChimeraX-MapFilter: 2.0
    ChimeraX-MapFit: 2.0
    ChimeraX-MapSeries: 2.0
    ChimeraX-Markers: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Mask: 1.0
    ChimeraX-MatchMaker: 1.2.1
    ChimeraX-MDcrds: 2.2
    ChimeraX-MedicalToolbar: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Meeting: 1.0
    ChimeraX-MLP: 1.1
    ChimeraX-mmCIF: 2.3
    ChimeraX-MMTF: 2.1
    ChimeraX-Modeller: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-ModelPanel: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-ModelSeries: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Mol2: 2.0
    ChimeraX-Morph: 1.0
    ChimeraX-MouseModes: 1.1
    ChimeraX-Movie: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Neuron: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Nucleotides: 2.0.1
    ChimeraX-OpenCommand: 1.5
    ChimeraX-PDB: 2.4.1
    ChimeraX-PDBBio: 1.0
    ChimeraX-PDBLibrary: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-PDBMatrices: 1.0
    ChimeraX-PickBlobs: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Positions: 1.0
    ChimeraX-PresetMgr: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-PubChem: 2.0.1
    ChimeraX-ReadPbonds: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Registration: 1.1
    ChimeraX-RemoteControl: 1.0
    ChimeraX-ResidueFit: 1.0
    ChimeraX-RestServer: 1.1
    ChimeraX-RNALayout: 1.0
    ChimeraX-RotamerLibMgr: 2.0
    ChimeraX-RotamerLibsDunbrack: 2.0
    ChimeraX-RotamerLibsDynameomics: 2.0
    ChimeraX-RotamerLibsRichardson: 2.0
    ChimeraX-SaveCommand: 1.4
    ChimeraX-SchemeMgr: 1.0
    ChimeraX-SDF: 2.0
    ChimeraX-Segger: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Segment: 1.0
    ChimeraX-SeqView: 2.3
    ChimeraX-Shape: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Shell: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Shortcuts: 1.0
    ChimeraX-ShowAttr: 1.0
    ChimeraX-ShowSequences: 1.0
    ChimeraX-SideView: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Smiles: 2.0.1
    ChimeraX-SmoothLines: 1.0
    ChimeraX-SpaceNavigator: 1.0
    ChimeraX-StdCommands: 1.3.1
    ChimeraX-STL: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Storm: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Struts: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Surface: 1.0
    ChimeraX-SwapAA: 2.0
    ChimeraX-SwapRes: 2.1
    ChimeraX-TapeMeasure: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Test: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Toolbar: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-ToolshedUtils: 1.2
    ChimeraX-Tug: 1.0
    ChimeraX-UI: 1.7.4
    ChimeraX-uniprot: 2.1
    ChimeraX-UnitCell: 1.0
    ChimeraX-ViewDockX: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Vive: 1.1
    ChimeraX-VolumeMenu: 1.0
    ChimeraX-VTK: 1.0
    ChimeraX-WavefrontOBJ: 1.0
    ChimeraX-WebCam: 1.0
    ChimeraX-WebServices: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Zone: 1.0
    colorama: 0.4.3
    comtypes: 1.1.7
    cxservices: 1.0
    cycler: 0.10.0
    Cython: 0.29.21
    decorator: 5.0.7
    distlib: 0.3.1
    docutils: 0.16
    filelock: 3.0.12
    funcparserlib: 0.3.6
    grako: 3.16.5
    h5py: 2.10.0
    html2text: 2020.1.16
    idna: 2.10
    ihm: 0.17
    imagecodecs: 2020.5.30
    imagesize: 1.2.0
    ipykernel: 5.3.4
    ipython: 7.18.1
    ipython-genutils: 0.2.0
    jedi: 0.17.2
    Jinja2: 2.11.2
    jupyter-client: 6.1.7
    jupyter-core: 4.7.1
    kiwisolver: 1.3.1
    line-profiler: 2.1.2
    lxml: 4.6.2
    lz4: 3.1.0
    MarkupSafe: 2.0.0
    matplotlib: 3.3.2
    matplotlib-inline: 0.1.2
    msgpack: 1.0.0
    netCDF4: 1.5.4
    networkx: 2.5
    numexpr: 2.7.3
    numpy: 1.19.2
    numpydoc: 1.1.0
    openvr: 1.14.1501
    packaging: 20.9
    ParmEd: 3.2.0
    parso: 0.7.1
    pexpect: 4.8.0
    pickleshare: 0.7.5
    Pillow: 7.2.0
    pip: 21.0.1
    pkginfo: 1.5.0.1
    prompt-toolkit: 3.0.18
    psutil: 5.7.2
    ptyprocess: 0.7.0
    pycollada: 0.7.1
    pydicom: 2.0.0
    Pygments: 2.7.1
    PyOpenGL: 3.1.5
    PyOpenGL-accelerate: 3.1.5
    pyparsing: 2.4.7
    PyQt5-commercial: 5.15.2
    PyQt5-sip: 12.8.1
    PyQtWebEngine-commercial: 5.15.2
    python-dateutil: 2.8.1
    pytz: 2021.1
    pyzmq: 22.0.3
    qtconsole: 4.7.7
    QtPy: 1.9.0
    RandomWords: 0.3.0
    requests: 2.24.0
    scipy: 1.5.2
    setuptools: 50.3.2
    sfftk-rw: 0.6.7.dev1
    six: 1.15.0
    snowballstemmer: 2.1.0
    sortedcontainers: 2.2.2
    Sphinx: 3.2.1
    sphinxcontrib-applehelp: 1.0.2
    sphinxcontrib-blockdiag: 2.0.0
    sphinxcontrib-devhelp: 1.0.2
    sphinxcontrib-htmlhelp: 1.0.3
    sphinxcontrib-jsmath: 1.0.1
    sphinxcontrib-qthelp: 1.0.3
    sphinxcontrib-serializinghtml: 1.1.4
    suds-jurko: 0.6
    tables: 3.6.1
    tifffile: 2020.9.3
    tinyarray: 1.2.3
    tornado: 6.1
    traitlets: 5.0.5
    urllib3: 1.25.11
    wcwidth: 0.2.5
    webcolors: 1.11.1
    wheel: 0.36.0
    wheel-filename: 1.3.0

[rob@…]

Sorry, I did a fresh install on another Catalina mac and could not
reproduce this problem.

On Thu, 20 May 2021 at 12:01, ChimeraX <ChimeraX-bugs-admin@cgl.ucsf.edu>
wrote:

[rob@…]

BTW, second install - where all worked well - was on newer (2019) macbook
pro, so maybe still an issue with configuration in the submitted bug report.

On Thu, 20 May 2021 at 12:11, ChimeraX <ChimeraX-bugs-admin@cgl.ucsf.edu>
wrote:

[pett]

Reported by Rob Miller

[Tom Goddard]

When the PDB did not appear on the first use how did you open the PDB? Menu File / Open..., command-line, toolbar open button, drag and drop? And what PDB file was it, one from the PDB web site our your own file? If your own, could you attach it?

No one else has reported this so I think it is something rather unusual. If you want to try to replicate it you would need to delete the ChimeraX settings that are created on first start:

~/Library/Application Support/ChimeraX/

When ChimeraX starts the first time it checks what ChimeraX "bundles" (ie packages) are available online at the ChimeraX Toolshed (= plugin repository), and maybe that had something to do with the PDB not showing.

[Tom Goddard]

Do you recall on the first start did the PDB model appear in the Models panel at the right side of the ChimeraX window? This would indicate whether the data was opened at all.

Sometimes black graphics can occur if the model is out of view of the camera. The "view" command centers it. That is done automatically when a model is first opened, so should not be necessary.

I think I one time saw a PDB file that was so bizarre in its contents that ChimeraX decided to show no atoms, and no ribbons were possible so nothing appeared. But very unlikely that is your case.

[Tom Goddard]

I tested on an iMac18.3 removing ~/Library/Application Support/ChimeraX and using the same ChimeraX 1.2.4 version and it correctly showed PDB 1a0m that I opened with the Open toolbar button.

I don't have an idea what happened in your first start of ChimeraX. We will have to wait for more clues, like someone else reporting it.

[rob@…]

Thanks for looking into this, and sorry have been busy recently.
- opened file with menu-> file-> open
- tried more than one pdb file, my own centred on 0,0,0 and probably 7rsa
- saw entries on structure list on right, clicked the view and show options
that seemed relevant
- this was only on my iMac from the original bug report, as noted later
fresh install on MacBook Pro worked straight off.
- away for two weeks from today but will try to delete app and reproduce on
return

Thanks!
Rob.

On Fri, 21 May 2021 at 03:23, ChimeraX <ChimeraX-bugs-admin@cgl.ucsf.edu>
wrote:

[Tom Goddard]

Ok. No need to spend effort on it. I am sure you will find better bugs to report if you use ChimeraX heavily! Really, if it happens at all frequently we will get other bug reports and may get more clues. My best guess is the data opened and displayed, but the initial camera view was pointing in the wrong direction. I never saw that happen. When you open the first model it always sets the camera to show it. But it is the most plausible explanation. The "view" command will move the camera so the model is centered if you see this again, or the View All button in the Graphics toolbar also does that.