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ACD/3D Viewerversion 5.0 for Microsoft Windows

User's Guide

Viewing 3D Structures andCalculating their Structural Parameters

Win!!!See contest

details inside.

Advanced Chemistry Development Inc.

Copyright © 1994-2001 Advanced Chemistry Development Inc. All rights reserved.

ACD/Labs is a trademark of Advanced Chemistry Development Inc.Microsoft is a registered trademark and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.Animagic GIF is a registered trademark of RTL Software, Inc.PDF, Acrobat and Portable Document Formats and associated data structures and operators arecopyright © Adobe Corporation.All the other trademarks mentioned within this Manual are the property of their respective owners.All trademarks are acknowledged.Information in this document is subject to change without notice and is provided “as is” with nowarranty. Advanced Chemistry Development Inc. makes no warranty of any kind with regard to thismaterial, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for aparticular purpose. Advanced Chemistry Development Inc. shall not be liable for errors containedherein or for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection withthe use of this material.Part number: G11_0208

ACD/3D User’s Guide i

Table of Contents

1. Introduction................................................................................................................. 1

1.1 What is ACD/3D Viewer? ...........................................................................................11.2 3D Optimization Algorithm..........................................................................................1

1.2.1 Limitations of ACD/3D Optimizer ...............................................................................21.3 What’s New in 5.0?.....................................................................................................2

1.3.1 General ACD/Labs Functions ....................................................................................21.3.2 ACD/3D Viewer-Specific Functions ............................................................................3

1.4 Useful Definitions ........................................................................................................31.5 About this Guide..........................................................................................................41.6 For More Information…...............................................................................................4

1.6.1 Web Site.................................................................................................................41.6.2 How to Contact Us....................................................................................................51.6.3 Online Updates—New to 5.0! .....................................................................................5

2. Basics of ACD/3D Viewer......................................................................................... 6

2.1 Objectives ...................................................................................................................62.2 Starting ACD/3D Viewer .............................................................................................62.3 Setting File Associations—New to 5.0! ......................................................................6

2.3.1 Changing File Associations .......................................................................................72.4 Changing Default Directories......................................................................................72.5 Exiting ACD/3D Viewer ...............................................................................................8

3. Operating with Molecules View.............................................................................. 9

3.1 Objectives ...................................................................................................................93.2 Inserting a Molecule into the 3D Window....................................................................93.3 Customizing Molecules View....................................................................................11

3.3.1 Changing Colors ..................................................................................................... 123.3.2 Changing Atom Radius of a Specific Element ........................................................... 133.3.3 Changing Display of Atom Radius ............................................................................ 14

3.4 Saving and Loading View Settings............................................................................143.4.1 Saving View Settings .............................................................................................. 143.4.2 Loading View Settings............................................................................................. 143.4.3 Setting Default View Settings .................................................................................. 15

3.5 Calculating Structural Parameters ...........................................................................153.5.1 Calculating Distance Between Two Atoms ................................................................ 153.5.2 Calculating Angle Between Two Bonds ..................................................................... 163.5.3 Calculating a Torsion Angle..................................................................................... 16

4. Creating an Animated GIF......................................................................................17

4.1 Obtaining the Animation Software ............................................................................174.2 Step-Wise Motion in ACD/3D Viewer .......................................................................184.3 Fine-tuning the Pictures ............................................................................................194.4 Obtaining a Series of GIFs........................................................................................204.5 Final Stage: Animating.............................................................................................20

5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................22

ACD/3D Viewer User’s Guide 1

1. Introduction

1.1 What is ACD/3D Viewer?

ACD/3D Viewer is a program that converts two-dimensional structures from ACD/ChemSketch intotheir three-dimensional counterparts and calculates bond angles and atom-to-atom distances.ACD/3D Viewer is fully integrated with the ChemSketch structure drawing program. It provides awide range of features:

• Import: Read in structures in the MDL molfile format, which is highly compatible with othercomputational chemistry software.

• Export: ACD/3D Viewer provides additional file-saving options—from the 3D interface as 3DOLE server files, or from the ChemSketch interface as sketch, bitmap or MDL molfiles.

• Display: Specify the representation of the structure displayed: molecule’s color and “view–type” . Structural display options range from using sticks, balls-and-sticks, to the moresophisticated opaque space-filling technique or transparent dots-on-a-sphere.

• Move: The position of the molecule can be changed through mouse control. Or, a structurecan be set to auto-rotate, with or without changing the display styles.

• Measure: Perform atom-to-atom measurements, and 3- and 4-vertex (torsion) anglemeasurement.

• Customize: You can modify individual atomic radii and colors, as well as background color.

• Integration: Copy the contents from the workspace to the Clipboard and paste it into otherOLE-supported Microsoft Windows applications, such as word processors or graphicsapplications.

1.2 3D Optimization Algorithm

The 3D optimization algorithm rapidly transforms the planar (2D) structure from ChemSketch into arealistic 3-dimensional structure. It is based on modified molecular mechanics which take intoaccount bond stretching, angle bending, internal rotation and van der Waals non-bondedinteractions. Modifications include minor simplification of potential functions and enforcement of theminimization scheme by additional heuristic algorithms for dealing with "bad" startingconformations.

The 3D optimization algorithm is a proprietary version of molecular mechanics with the force fieldinitially based on CHARMM parametrization.1 The modifications involve some simplification andwere intended to increase the stability and speed of computation. Note that 3D-optimizer is NOT afull-scale molecular mechanics engine. Its design aims to reliably reproduce reasonable

1 Refer to B.R. Brooks, R.E. Bruccoleri, B.D.Olafson, D.J. States, S. Swaminathan, and M.Karplus. CHARMM: A program for macromolecular energy, minimization, and dynamicscalculations. J. Comput. Chem. 4 187-217 (1983).

Introduction


conformations from (possibly very unreasonable) 2D drawings, rather than to precisely optimize 3Dstructures.

Occasionally an R-conformation input will change to an S-conformation in the process ofoptimization. This is because the algorithm does not restrict conformations. If ACD/3D Viewerproduces a molecular conformation different from what you have expected, do not be surprised. It isthe very essence of conformational analysis that molecules typically have many conformations.The optimizer finds only one, and it is not necessarily the one you expected. For example, youprobably expect a cyclohexane fragment to be a chair, but the optimizer may generate twist-boat,which is also one of its suitable conformations (indeed, in many structures this fragment exists in atwisted form). In some cases, for example, if you want to obtain desired enantiomers for structureswith a chiral center, you can use the Up and Down Stereo Bonds tools in the ChemSketchWindow to define the required direction of bonds.

1.2.1 Limitations of ACD/3D Optimizer

ACD/3D Viewer can only optimize structures containing C (IV), H (I), F (I), Cl (I), Br (I), I (I), N (III,IV), O (II) and S (II, IV, VI). It cannot optimize organometallic compounds or structures with chargedatoms (except azide and nitro groups). Also, it does not take into account hydrogen bonding.

1.3 What’s New in 5.0?

1.3.1 General ACD/Labs Functions

• All ACD software programs run as 32-bit applications on PCs with Windows95/98/NT/ME/2000 operating systems, except for ACD/I-Lab for Intranets, Batch for the SGIand Batch for Sun Solaris products.

• All ACD software programs running on PCs are controlled by ACD/Host which allows you toset loading, timeout and auto-reload parameters.

• All PC versions of ACD software (except for PhysChem Batch, LC Simulator and GCSimulator) include a new feature that automatically detects the default file association forcertain file extensions that are special to ACD software (e.g. .sk2, .esp, .lud). As of release5.0, most ACD windows now contain the File Associations... command (File menu).

• All PC versions of ACD software have a new command listed under the Help menu: BugReport / Feature Request. If you have an Internet-enabled PC, selecting this command willbring you automatically to the ACD web page for bug reports and new feature requests.

• A convenient new feature for all input/output dialogs in all windows of release 5.0 is that thestandard Select File dialog boxes can be resized (lower right-hand corner of dialog). As well,file and folder manipulations such as new folder creation, clearing the desktop, and display offile details can be done without once leaving the dialog box.

Introduction


• PC versions of most ACD software include a new feature that simplifies frequent operation.Message box preferences can be set up so that you can control the level of system promptsfor the actions you do. The Help menu contains the Message Box Preferences command.Depending on your choice of settings, you can be constantly prompted, or never be promptedfor certain actions.

• All ACD PC-based software can be updated through the Internet, using the Online Updatefacility. Please see Section 1.6.3 below.

1.3.2 ACD/3D Viewer-Specific Functions

• The new Colors dialog box includes instant color display and the ability to sort elementnames alphabetically. See Section 3.3.1.

• Similarly, the list of elements displayed in the Atomic Radii dialog box can also be orderedalphabetically. See Section 3.3.2.

1.4 Useful Definitions

In this tutorial the following terms are used to describe various actions:

⇒ Point means move the mouse pointer to an item.

⇒ Click or left-click means move the mouse pointer to an item, and press the left mousebutton.

⇒ Right-click means move the mouse pointer to an item, and press the right mouse button.

⇒ Double-click means move the mouse pointer to an item, and quickly press the left mousebutton twice.

⇒ Drag means press and hold down the left mouse button while you move the mouse.

Note In Windows the default mouse button side is on the left. You can change the defaultside to the right by summoning the Mouse dialog box from the Windows ControlPanel. (This also permits you to change the speed and motion attributes of themouse.)

Introduction


1.5 About this Guide

To start using ACD/3D Viewer in its full power you don’t have to read a manual, it is so intuitive andsimple to use. That’s why this guide doesn’t provide comprehensive descriptions of all the optionsavailable in the program; rather, it just gets you started. After reviewing these exercises, you will beable to use ACD/3D Viewer yourself, without any further assistance and with maximum speed andefficiency.

⇒ This User’s Guide is provided in electronic form, readable with a commonly available wordprocessing program. If you cannot locate an index topic you need, please do a text string-search in the word processing program for the relevant word or phrase, or related words.

⇒ The screen-shots shown throughout this guide have been taken with a relatively small windowsize. The default display is a window that fills the screen. Click once on the Minimize button

(upper right-hand corner of window display) to get a smaller working area; click on theMaximize button to return to full-screen display.

⇒ The screen-shots have been taken with the next-to-last version of the software. We havemade every effort to match what you will see in ACD/3D Viewer with what the guide shows,but there may be slight discrepancies.

⇒ This Guide assumes you have basic familiarity with mouse and file manipulation in MicrosoftWindows.

Win!!!Your opinionis important

to us.

Once you have used this Guide, we would like your feedback. Howcan we improve the documentation for this product? We have ashort questionnaire we would like you to complete. All eligiblerespondents will be entered in a draw for a prize ofACD/ChemFolder (or equivalent discount toward the purchase ofany ACD software). Please use MS Word 6.0 or later to open thefile “survey.doc” or use Adobe Acrobat Reader to open “survey.pdf”on the documentation CD you have received with this software, orvisit the “Feedback” page at our Web site,http://www.acdlabs.com/feedback/guides.html. The winner ofthe draw is announced at the end of each calendar year.

1.6 For More Information…

1.6.1 Web Site

To see the latest in ACD software and services, please visit our Web site at

http://www.acdlabs.com

Our Web site is being accessed at the rate of tens of thousands of “hits” per day. There’s a reasonfor this: much is offered through our Web site. As of Spring 2001, we offer free ChemSketch 4.5, afree ISIS 3D Add-in, free ChemDraw extensions and a free 2-week demo key for “Interactive Lab”sessions where you can run test calculations using Java applets without purchasing software.There are Lotus Cam-based movies which show the operation of many of our software packages(especially ChemSketch) available for download.

http://www.acdlabs.com/feedback/guides.html

http://www.acdlabs.com

Introduction


We are constantly updating the information on our Web site. The Web site will tell you at whichscientific conferences you can visit the ACD booth. You can browse the Frequently AskedQuestions page or drop in and “chat” on our freeware newsgroup, which can also be reached at:

news://news.acdlabs.com/acd.public.chemsketch

If you would like to stay informed of the latest developments in chemical naming software productsat ACD, please be sure to sign up for e-mail broadcasts at our Web site page:

http://www.acdlabs.com/feedback/mailing.html

1.6.2 How to Contact Us

We are accessible through our Web site, phone, fax and regular mail, but by far the most popularway to contact us is via electronic mail. Questions on pricing, sales, availability and general issuesshould be directed to

[email protected] and scientific support issues should be addressed to

[email protected] tell us the name of the software owner, the version number and release date of the productyou are contacting us about. (This information is available by selecting Help/About.) If applicable,please tell us the name of the distributor from whom you purchased the software.

1.6.3 Online Updates—New to 5.0!

Version 5.0 of all PC-based ACD software contains the capability to have software updates deliveredonline. You will need the registration numbers of the software and an Internet connection from thesame computer on which the software is installed. The updates are small fixes, for example,bringing the actual version number of a program from 5.00 to 5.01. Please refer to the document,"Online Updates," included with the rest of the product documentation in your Documents folder formore information on this, or e-mail our technical support department.

news://news.acdlabs.com/acd.public.chemsketch

http://www.acdlabs.com/feedback/mailing.html


2. Basics of ACD/3D Viewer

2.1 Objectives

This chapter will familiarize you with• how to start the program;

• how to set and change file associations;

• how to set default directories; and

• how to exit ACD/3D Viewer.

2.2 Starting ACD/3D Viewer

Once ACD/3D Viewer has been installed on your computer, follow these basic steps to start it:

1. Start Microsoft Windows.

2. Double-click the 3D Viewer icon.–OR–From the Start/Run menu in the Windows 95/98/2000 or NT taskbar, choose ACD/Labs andthen choose the 3D icon.–OR–Double-click the program file “show3d.exe” in the folder where you have installed all ACDsoftware. By default this is ACD50.–OR–If you have other ACD/Labs programs running, from the ACD/Labs menu choose 3D Viewer.

You should see an opening splash screen. If this is the freeware version, you will see a 15-second list of ACD products scroll by. Be patient and click Cancel when it becomes active.

2.3 Setting File Associations—New to 5.0!

1. If this is the first time you have started the program, the File Association dialog box will appear.

2. This contains a selectable list of file extensions and file types which you may want to openautomatically with ACD software from now on. If so, click the check boxes of the file formatsyou want to add, and then click the Yes button.

3. If you do not want to have 3D automatically open files with the listed extension, or are not sure,leave the check boxes blank and click the No button.

Basics of ACD/3D Viewer


2.3.1 Changing File Associations

If you have not selected all formats, the default file association can be viewed or changed at anytime by going to the File menu and selecting File Association. If you have selected all formats,then you receive a message, “all supported file types are already associated with the currentapplication.” In this case, to change the file associations, you can do it through WindowsExplorer.

1. Open Windows Explorer, and select a file with the extension for which you want to create theassociation.

2. Hold down the SHIFT key and right-click on the file. From the pop-up menu, select OpenWith...

3. Set the application that should be used to open the file and select the Always use thisprogram… check box.

4. Click OK and close Windows Explorer.

2.4 Changing Default Directories

If you are running a single-user (stand-alone) copy of 3D, the default directory settings are likelyfine. If you have a network copy, it is advisable to change the default directory settings in theACD/Labs software so that the default drive for saving work-in-progress is the user’s local hard drive,not the remote server. After creating local access for either limited or unlimited numbers of seats,then at each local installation:1. In the ChemSketch window, from the Options menu, choose the Preferences command.

2. Click on the General tab. And in the Default box at the bottom of the tab specify the directorythat will be opened every time you open the Import, Open, Save, Export dialog boxes in theChemSketch window:

Note In the Private box you can set the directory for recording the configuration ofChemSketch program (e.g., template.cfg and qrstyles.stl files).

3. Click OK.

4. Switch to 3D Window and from the Options menu choose the Set Default Folder… commandand find the required folder. Click OK.

Basics of ACD/3D Viewer


2.5 Exiting ACD/3D Viewer

You can exit from the program in any of the following ways:• click in the upper right-hand corner of the title bar of any window;

- OR -

• from the ACD/Labs menu choose the Close All command. This will attempt to close allACD programs that are currently open, one right after the next.

- OR -

• select the Exit command from the File menu. This will close only the currently open ACDprogram.

You will be prompted to save your work in the appropriate file formats, depending on the window thatyou are exiting.


3. Operating with Molecules View

3.1 Objectives

In this chapter you will learn how to:• insert molecule into the 3D Window;

• customize the view of molecules (color, atoms’ radii);

• save and load view settings; and

• measure distance between atoms and calculate angle between bonds.

3.2 Inserting a Molecule into the 3D Window

1. Start up ACD/3D Viewer as described above.

2. Click the ChemSketch button on the Window Switching bar at the bottom of thewindow.

3. This will switch you into the ChemSketch window. Click the Dictionary button in theupper right part of the ChemSketch window (circled in blue below):

Operating with Molecules View


Note The free ChemSketch version doesn’t include the Dictionary module. This module isa commercial one, so if you have a free ChemSketch in use, draw any desiredstructure by using the ChemSketch interface tools. (For details upon drawingstructures refer to the ACD/ChemSketch User’s Guide.)

4. This will display the ACD/Dictionary dialog box. In the Quick Search box type in a few key-strokes for the name “cinchonidine”. (Cinchonidine is an anti-malarial agent that is extractedfrom the bark of various species of Cinchona.)

5. As soon as the required name is selected in the list and corresponding structure is displayed,

click OK. Note that the shadow of the selected structure hangs over the cursor. Click in theworkspace to place the structure in the ChemSketch window:

NN

OH

HCH2

6. Click the Copy to 3D button at the bottom of the ChemSketch window totransfer the molecule into the ACD/3D Viewer interface. You will see a simple stick figureappear in the 3D window:



3.3 Customizing Molecules View

1. To create a 3D model of a 2D chemical structure, click the 3D optimize button . Note thatthe hydrogens are added:

2. Drag over the workspace to rotate the structure obtained for better viewing.

3. To represent the current structure as balls and sticks, click the Ball and Sticks button .

4. To add dots halo to the current molecule view, click the With Dots button . The structurewill look something like this:

5. To rotate a molecule automatically as it is, without changing its view type, click the Auto-rotate

button . (To rotate a molecule, automatically changing its view type, click the Auto-rotate

and Change style button .)



Note To represent the structure as disks, wireframe, dots or spacefilled, click the

corresponding buttons on the toolbar ( , , , , respectively). You canalso right-click in the window workspace to switch among the view mode buttons.

(Note that if any of the Measure menu tools ( , , ) are active, right-clickingwill toggle between them only.)

3.3.1 Changing Colors

1. From the Options menu choose the Colors… command or click the Set Colors button .This will display the Colors dialog box:

2. When measurements are being made, the set of atoms whose distance or angles are being

measured are given a special highlight color. The default is a bright green. To change the colorof the atoms that are selected, from the Selection list choose the desired color and click OK.

Note Selection works only with the Calculate Distance , Calculate Angle and

Calculate Torsion Angle tools. For more details on these tools refer toSection 3.5.

3. To change the color of the background of the display, select the desired color in theBackground list.

Tip If you are printing a lot, to save toner, it is best to change the background to white.4. To change the color of a chemical element, click the name of the element in the list and then

choose the desired color to the right.

Note Selecting the Alphabetical Order check box sorts the names of the elements in thelist; otherwise, the elements are listed in the order they appear in the Periodic Tableof Elements.



3.3.2 Changing Atom Radius of a Specific Element

1. Choose the Radii… command from the Options menu to open the Atomic Radii dialog boxcontaining default settings for atom radii of various elements:

2. To view the currently set radius of any element click on it in the list. In the right column the

corresponding value is highlighted.

3. To change the atom radius for an element, double-click on it in the list and type the new value,e.g., 1.5, in the Change Radius box that appears:

4. Click OK to save changes.

Note The atomic radius is expressed in relative units.5. As soon as the changes are made to the Atomic Radii dialog box click OK.

Note Next time you start ACD/3D Viewer, the default values will be reset to their previousvalues. For more details on how to save and load default settings refer to Section3.4.

6. To see the full result of changing the atomic radii, switch to the Spacefill view to obtain thefollowing view:



3.3.3 Changing Display of Atom Radius

1. Switch to the Balls and Sticks view mode .

2. Click the Increase Atoms’ Radii by 5% button . Each additional click on this buttonincreases the radii of all displayed atoms by 5%.

3. Click the Decrease Atoms’ Radii by 5% button to decrease the radii of all displayedatoms by 5%.

Important These tools do not affect the actual radii of atoms (those specified in theAtoms’ Radii dialog box), but only change the display.

3.4 Saving and Loading View Settings

You can save settings that you have specified during the current work session as a *.3ds file, loadthem from a previously saved file and set them as the new default.

3.4.1 Saving View Settings

1. Choose the Save Settings… command from the Options menu to display the following dialogbox.

2. Select the check boxes of the attributes that you want to be saved. Note that selecting the

Radii check box will allow you to save settings specified in the Atomic Radii dialog box, butnot the current radius display options (see Section 3.3.2 and 3.3.3).

3. Click OK and in the dialog box that appears specify the name of the file and location (drive anddirectory). Note that the file should be saved with *.3ds extension.

4. Click OK to save the file.

3.4.2 Loading View Settings

If you have previously saved view settings, you may load them for the current session.

1. Choose the Load Settings… command from the Options menu to open the Load Settingsdialog box.

2. Find the *.3ds file you want to load.

3. Click OK. The settings contained in this file will be loaded for the current working session.



3.4.3 Setting Default View Settings

If you want to use specific settings each time you work with ACD/3D Viewer, you should set themas default ones.

1. Specify required view settings (refer to Section 3.3).

2. Save them into a file using the Save Settings… command (Options menu).

3. From the Options menu choose the Set Default Settings… command to open the Set DefaultSettings…dialog box.

4. Find the file with the setting you want to set as default.

5. Click OK. From this point on, each time you open ACD/3D Viewer these settings will be loadeduntil you specify other ones.

Tip To return to the system default settings, from the Options menu select the RestoreDefault Settings command.

3.5 Calculating Structural Parameters

3.5.1 Calculating Distance Between Two Atoms

1. Switch to the Balls and Sticks view mode for better view of atoms.

2. Click the Calculate Distance Between 2 Atoms button .

3. Click on any atom to select it, then move the mouse pointer over another atom to highlight themwith the selection color. On the status bar you can see the distance between the selectedatoms:

4. To fix the selection click on the atom. For example, in the picture below, the selected atomsare marked with green (for more details on how to set selection color, refer to Section 3.3.1).

5. To cancel the selection and to start a new measurement, click somewhere in an empty

workspace. To stop using this tool, click on its button to deselect it.



3.5.2 Calculating Angle Between Two Bonds

1. Click the Calculate Angle Between 2 Bonds button .

2. Click two neighboring atoms which form a bond.

3. Move the mouse pointer to the third atom which makes a bond with the last selected one. Thecalculated angle value appears on the status bar, e.g.:

4. To fix the calculated value, click this atom:

5. To cancel the selection and to start a new measurement, click somewhere in an empty

workspace. To stop using this tool, click on its button to deselect it.

3.5.3 Calculating a Torsion Angle

1. Click the Calculate Torsion Angle button .

2. Click two atoms participating in a common bond. The corresponding bond becomes selected.

3. In the same manner, click on two more atoms adjacent to a previously selected bond. The finalresult will be three adjacent bonds, participating in a torsion angle, which will be selected:

The calculated angle is reflected on the status bar, e.g.:

Note Without selecting the third bond, it is possible to look through the values of allpossible torsion angles neighboring the last selected atom by moving the mousepointer over adjacent atoms.

4. To cancel the selection and to start a new measurement, click somewhere in an emptyworkspace. To stop using this tool, click on its button to deselect it.


4. Creating an Animated GIF

Now you can create animated GIF files for your site with minimum effort, minimum cost, andmaximum impact.

The GIF file format may not be as sophisticated as Java, Flash, ActiveX or more chemistry-orientedformats as RasMol and Chime, but these newer applications are not as accessible to casual Webvisitors who may not have the appropriate plug-ins or a connection that is fast enough. For trueaccessibility, a GIF file is still the cornerstone of Web design.

Animated GIFs are a nice touch for many a Web page, whether to emphasize something on thepage (e.g. the "New" revolving spheres on the ACD download page) or to show, pictorially,something which is better sketched while explaining it to someone (e.g. electron density movementin the course of a Diels-Alder reaction).

4.1 Obtaining the Animation Software

Animated GIFs can be created with commonly available software such as packages listed throughthe Tucows site.2 Such software is often freeware, evaluation ware, or shareware. (Standarddisclaimer here: ACD makes no recommendation or claim for one animation product over another.)For the present example, we used Animagic shareware from RTL Software, Inc. An evaluation orshareware copy can be downloaded from the Web page

http://www.rtlsoft.com/animagic

and installed on your PC.

An animated GIF file can be created by linking, in succession, one "still" or “snapshot” GIF imageafter another. Each still GIF contains nearly the same image as the previous GIF, but changed justenough to give the human eye the illusion of movement when one GIF is shown after the other.Good animation software will optimize the linkage so that the size of the overall animated GIF willbe as small as possible.

The export of a ChemSketch or 3D file to GIF format is straightforward. A set of these GIFs is usedas input to a special GIF-animator program, which will output the moving image (after some editingand optimization) to the animated GIF format. We go through these steps in detail below.

2 TUCOWS is an acronym for The Ultimate Collection of Windows Software. See www.tucows.com.

http://www.rtlsoft.com/animagic

Creating an Animated GIF


4.2 Step-Wise Motion in ACD/3D Viewer

We will start with a very simple structure—butane—that is easy to draw and process.

1. In the ChemSketch Window, Structure mode, draw butane:

CH3

CH3

2. Click the Copy to 3D button on the Window Switching bar.

3. In the 3D Window click the 3D Optimization button to optimize the structure.

4. Switch to the Balls and Sticks view ( ) and click the Increase Atom’s Radii button several times to make the atoms more prominent.

5. From the Options menu choose the Colors… command and in the Element section of thedialog box set the green color for Hydrogen and blue color for Carbon. In the Backgroundsection choose White. You should obtain something like the following:

6. Now copy the molecule to the Clipboard by choosing Copy from the Edit menu.

7. Switch to the ChemSketch Window by clicking the button.

8. If there is anything drawn in the current page, create a new page by clicking .

9. Press CTRL+V to make a fast paste of the image from the Clipboard. Click in the workspace toplace the image.

10. Switch back to the 3D Window by clicking and slightly rotate the structure bydragging over it.

11. Again, copy the structure to the clipboard, switch to the ChemSketch Window, create a newpage and paste the structure.

12. Repeat the steps above until your structure appears in the same position as it was at the firststep.

Tip To make structure rotate strictly horizontally and evenly, drag the cursor strictlyhorizontally and to the same destination each time.

13. Switch to the ChemSketch Window. As a result of repeated pastes to new pages you shouldhave a document with a series of pages each containing a “snapshot” of the rotating molecule.



You may check the number of pages and switch between them using the Page button on thestatus bar:

4.3 Fine-tuning the Pictures

If you look through all the pictures, you will notice that the size of each picture is different. This willaffect the final animation and will make it uneven. If your animation software allows you to changethe size of the used gifs and modify their contents, you may skip this section and do the necessarychanges in your animation software. If you are using animation software that does not includethese capabilities you may use the Draw mode in ChemSketch to help standardize the image ofeach snapshot.

1. Display the page with the biggest picture on it.

2. In the Draw mode choose the Rectangle tool and drag over the picture of the molecule sothat the rectangle fully includes the molecule. Release the mouse button to fix the rectangle

and click the Send to Back button to send the rectangle to the background so that themolecule is visible.

3. Press CTRL+A to select both objects and click the Center Horizontally and then Center

Vertically buttons.

4. If you do not want the border of the rectangle to be visible, select the rectangle only and right-click on the left-most crossed section on the Color Palette (above the status bar) to set theborder’s color to None. Left-clicking on any color will change the fill color of the rectangle—thiscan be useful if you have used any special background color when copying molecules in the 3DWindow.

Note If there is no Color Palette displayed, refer to the View section of General tab in thePreferences dialog box (Options menu). The Palette check box should beselected.

5. As soon as the rectangle is of the desired color and size, select it alone and copy it to theclipboard so that you can then simply paste it for other snapshots.

6. Switch to the next page, press CTRL+V and click on the molecule to paste the rectangle over it.

Then click the Send to Back button , press CTRL+A to select both objects and align them

with the Center Horizontally and the Center Vertically buttons.

7. Repeat step 6 for each page.



4.4 Obtaining a Series of GIFs

1. From the ChemSketch page list, scroll to the first 3D image (likely page 1 or 2).

Important When exporting to a GIF file, ChemSketch exports the whole page with noregard to whether the objects are selected or not, so make sure that the pagecontains only those objects that you want to appear in a GIF file.

2. Choose the Export command from the File menu and select the format to be saved in as GIFBitmap (*.gif). Specify the name for the file, e.g., butane01.gif.

3. Click OK and the image on that page will be saved.

4. Move to the next page by clicking on the Next Page button on the status bar or pressPAGE DOWN on your keyboard.

5. Repeat steps above saving the files under a slightly different name each time in the sequencebutane02.gif, butane03.gif, butane04.gif, etc.

4.5 Final Stage: Animating

Depending on the animation software, the interface for input of GIF files differs. The following isdescribed with respect to the Animagic software package from RTL Software.3

1. Open the animation software.

3 This is not intended as a product endorsement.



2. Insert the series of butane0*.GIF files as frames into the frame list. For example, in Animagic itcan be done with a drag-and-drop operation. Make a multiple selection of the file icons fromtheir folder (or from Windows Explorer) and drag them until they are in the Frame List panel:

3. Click the Play button to step through the animation frame by frame.

4. Click on the Loop button to make the movement repeat endlessly.

5. Add or Remove GIFs as needed to complete the motion smoothly.

6. You may wish to explore other options such as setting color scales, time dwells, dirtyrectangles, etc. in order to enhance the animation or make a smaller GIF file.

7. From the File menu select Save Optimized As… and type in butane.gif.

8. Open this file in your Web browser to view it. You can open it by drag and drop or by typing inthe file as an URL.


5. Conclusion

Thank you for choosing ACD/3D Viewer. We have endeavored to produce the easiest to use 3Dchemical display program available today.

This overview, combined with the online Help, should be enough to allow you to accomplish manythings with this powerful yet intuitive package. On the rare occasion that further assistance isrequired, or if you have feedback on this manual or any aspect of the software, we would be happyto hear from you. We can be contacted via the avenues described in Section 1.6.

And furthermore…

Win!!!Tell us how we

can improve thisGuide.

Once you have used this Guide, we would like your feedback. Howcan we improve the documentation for this product? We have ashort questionnaire we would like you to complete. All eligiblerespondents will be entered in a draw for a prize ofACD/ChemFolder (or equivalent discount toward the purchase ofany ACD software). Please use MS Word 6.0 or later to open thefile “survey.doc” or use Adobe Acrobat Reader to open “survey.pdf”on the documentation CD you have received with this software, orvisit the “Feedback” page at our Web site,http://www.acdlabs.com/feedback/guides.html. The winner ofthe draw will be announced at the end of each calendar year.

http://www.acdlabs.com/feedback/guides.html