Several PDB viewers, including Chimera and Pymol, are able to export molecular representations 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 open/import .obj, .fbx, .mel, .ma and .mb files (among others). 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. We will then use PyMOL to create a cartoon protein representation and export it to VRML.

Using Chimera to Export VRML
Surfaces & Ribbons:
Open PDB ID ‘1KKE’ using Chimera’s ‘Fetch by ID’ command under the File menu. To download any PDB directly, you can go to http://www.rcsb.org. Chimera can also be downloaded for free from the UCSF Chimera website (http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/chimera/). By default, the molecule is seen as a wire model. You can tumble the model using the left mouse button (LMB). The right mouse button (RMB) allows use to zoom in, and the middle mouse button (MMB) pans.

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