SciVis - IFC CNR

Proteins and other biological molecules are, in essence, chemical compounds with specific properties that are determined by the nature of their atoms and the way they are connected and organized in the 3D space.
These properties are defined, in physico-chemical terms, as potentials, typically expressed with complex equations and/or numerical values. One of the aims of our effort, is to convey the significance of these properties in a visual way. Professional programs can calculate, for example, the electrostatic potential of a surface, or its hydrophobicity, and report it on the surface using a conventional code, typically a colour scale.

We present here some images obtained while studying different ways to render (i.e. to give visual properties to surfaces) applied to a form created with a random process or to a shape representing a branched complex sugar typically found on glycoproteins. The images are produced with Maya/Autodesk and rendered with RenderMan_for _Maya/Pixar; some of them were ‘placed' in a ‘real' environment using HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging), which attributes to the surface the reflections that they would have in a defined place.

		Cellular texture Seamless texture of a cell layer. The original image, was taken with a phase contrast optical microscope. The cells are human fibroblasts grown to confluency.
		Calmodulin Calmodulin (pdb 1cfc), pictured with our latest system: the boundary of the protein is the Solvent Accessible Surface area, calculated with PyMOL and imported as a mesh in Blender. The texture is an elaboration of the Molecular Lipophilic Potential, showing hydrophobic areas as white, smooth and shiny patches, and hydrophilic ones as darker, rough and dull.
		Velluto (Velvet) A simple soft looking material
		Gomma (Rubber) This complex ‘shader' includes two overlapping 3D displacements and a graded luminosity (incandescence). The form is the terminal end of a branched oligosaccharide. Atoms were randomly assigned grades of grey, and the molecule is depicted as in a street environment
		Zucchero (Sugar) The form is a random blob, randomly coloured. The surface includes a 'shiny displacement' that gives a rough crystallin impression, similar to sugar lumps.
		Pongo (Plasticine) Don't you feel like playing with it?
		Sabbia (Sand) Note the layer of ‘fog' surrounding the surface
		Cespuglio (Bush, the plant)
		Riccio (Hedgehog)