Importing & animating a receptor
1) Importing molecular data into Maya
2) Using constraints and dynamic motion paths to animate the binding event
Membrane with scattered proteins
1) Creating a softbody membrane
2) Using constraints to attach molecules to the dynamic membrane surface
3) Using MEL to scatter proteins automatically
Extracellular Matrix
1) Using particles and MEL to create a dense mesh for the ECM

Importing Molecular Data into Maya
Several PDB viewers, including Chimera and Pymol, are able to export molecular surfaces as VRML files. VRML files can then be converted to a file type that can be imported directly into the 3D application of your choice. By default, Maya is able to import .obj, .ma and .mel files. Plugins can be installed to import a number of other 3d file types, but as of yet there is no direct way to import VRML files into Maya.

First, we’ll explore the functionality of Chimera and export VRML files of the reovirus attachment protein sigma1, then we’ll use the ‘multiscale model’ option in Chimera to export the reovirus core as VRML.

Download pdf Molecular Challenges using Maya