Online tools to easily build virtual molecular models for display in augmented and virtual reality on the web

Several groups developed in the last years augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) software to visualize 3D molecules, most rather static, limited in content, and requiring software installs, some even requiring expensive hardware. We launched in 2020 moleculARweb (https://molecularweb.epfl.ch), a web...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of molecular graphics & modelling Vol. 114; p. 108164
Main Authors: Cortés Rodríguez, Fabio, Dal Peraro, Matteo, Abriata, Luciano A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.07.2022
Subjects:
Augmented reality
Metaverse
Molecular graphics
Molecular modeling
Science communication
Stem education
Virtual reality
Web programming
webXR
Science communication
webXR
Metaverse
Molecular modeling
Stem education
Virtual reality
Web programming
Molecular graphics
Augmented reality
ISSN:1093-3263, 1873-4243, 1873-4243
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Several groups developed in the last years augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) software to visualize 3D molecules, most rather static, limited in content, and requiring software installs, some even requiring expensive hardware. We launched in 2020 moleculARweb (https://molecularweb.epfl.ch), a website that offers interactive content for chemistry and structural biology education through commodity web-based AR that works on consumer devices like smartphones, tablets and laptops. Among thousands of users, teachers increasingly request more biological macromolecules to be available, a demand that we cannot address individually. Therefore, to allow users to build their own material, we built a web interface where they can create online AR experiences in few steps starting from Protein Data Bank, AlphaFold or custom uploaded structures, or from virtual objects/scenes exported from the Visual Molecular Dynamics program, without any programming knowledge. The web tool also returns WebXR sessions for viewing and manipulating the models in WebXR-compatible devices including smartphones, tablets, and also immersive VR headsets with WebXR-capable browsers, where models can be manipulated even with bare hands when supported by the device. The tool is accessible for free at https://molecularweb.epfl.ch/pages/pdb2ar.html. [Display omitted] •Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) have educational potential in chemistry and biology.•But tools to create educational AR/VR content are needed.•Two new tools at moleculARweb to create AR and VR experiences.•The tools render AR/VR from atomic coordinates or from exported VMD scenes.•Small or large molecules, even orbitals, electron density maps, EM models, etc.
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ISSN:1093-3263
1873-4243
1873-4243
DOI:10.1016/j.jmgm.2022.108164