Interactive Molecular Visualization
Features
Ray-tracing engine
In computer graphics, ray tracing is a technique for generating an image by tracing the path of light through pixels in an image plane and simulating the effects of its encounters with virtual objects.
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The technique is capable of producing a very high degree of visual realism, usually higher than that of typical scanline rendering methods, but at a greater computational cost.
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Ray tracing is capable of simulating a wide variety of optical effects, such as reflection and refraction, scattering, and dispersion phenomena (such as chromatic aberration).
Post-processing effects
In optics, particularly as it relates to film and photography, depth of field is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image. Although a lens can precisely focus at only one distance at a time, the decrease in sharpness is gradual on each side of the focused distance, so that within the DOF, the unsharpness is imperceptible under normal viewing conditions.

Ambient occlusion attempts to approximate the way light radiates in real life, especially off what are normally considered non-reflective surfaces.
Support for large models
In order to produce optimal results in terms of rendering speed, IMV uses a bounding volume hierarchy. This technique allows the ray-tracing engine to work with thousands of atoms. The GPU implementation offers the necessary computing power for real-time rendering.
Cloud Solution
Thanks to its Client/Server architecture, IMV is cloud ready. Client sends information such as mouse and keyboard behaviour to server. The server takes care of the rendering and sends a stream of images back. Transport is optimized using compression technologies. Each client can enjoy a different and fully customizable view of the protein.
Molecule Editor
In order to produce optimal visualization, a fully configurable editor is available on Windows platforms. The editor automatically downloads PDB files from RCSB (Protein Data Bank) via HTTP, and allows customization of materials used to render atoms and sticks. Post processing effects and ray-tracing parameters are also accessible from the editor and have immediate effect on the interactive and ray-traced view of the molecule.
Native support for Oculus Rift
IMV is able to simultaneously produce a different view for each eye, making it ready for nVidia 3DVision. Simply capture the window, play it back in a 3DVision compatible player and enjoy an immersive trip into the heart of your proteins.
Anaglyph 3D
IMV also provides a cheap way to visualize molecules in 3D, thanks to anaglypth technology. Get a pair of glasses for less than $2 and enjoy en immersive and unmatched experience.