AR Proteins

Learn more about proteins and their 3D representations with AR Proteins.

AR Proteins contains 3D representations (NewCartoon, Licorice, and QuickSurf) of twelve proteins, which represent different classes of proteins. Two short movies are also included, illustrating protein dynamics.

Brief Instructions:

- Download and print the image target that is needed to show the proteins in 3D using AR.

- Use your fingers to rotate and resize the proteins to experience the full potential of AR technology.

This application was created by Costin Grigore as part of his summer project in the Computational Biophysics group led by Dr. Andrei Pisliakov at the University of Dundee.

The aim of this application is to show protein structures in 3D on mobile devices using Augmented Reality technology. Several programs were used to develop this application: VMD was used to create and render 3D representations (NewCartoon, Licorice, QuickSurf, and their combinations) of a set of proteins. Blender was used to render 3D objects in a compatible format for Unity 3D. The whole application was developed in Unity 3D, version 2019.2.0f1. LeanTouch assets were used in Unity 3D in order to allow users to use finger gestures on their touchscreen to interact with the proteins (change their size and rotation). Vuforia technologies were used to create and use image targets for the application.

Instructions:

In order to start using the application, an image target must be downloaded and printed; the image is provided on the description of the application.

Once the image target is ready, open the application and allow it to access the camera on the device.

Point the camera to the image target in order to see a structure of insulin, the first protein in the list.

To learn more about the functionality of the application, open the instructions menu in the upper-left side of the screen.

Application functionalities:

The application allows the user to show three different representations of eleven proteins.

A grid of buttons on the lower-right side of the screen allows switching between representations and between proteins.

Two rotation modes for the proteins are available:

Automated rotation: rotates the proteins automatically in 360 degrees about the vertical axis. Automated rotation must be activated and deactivated once to allow gesture rotation.

Gesture rotation: once it is activated by using automated rotation, the user can rotate the proteins using two fingers by holding the two fingers on the display and rotating the protein.

Resize the proteins by using two fingers to zoom in/out. The application allows the user to learn more about the displayed protein by pressing the information button (button with a question mark). The text box shows the extended name of the protein, its PDB code that was used to make 3D structures, and a link to the PDB page of the protein, which will appear in the lower-right corner of the information interface.

Two short movies are available to watch under the camera button, which illustrates the dynamics of two proteins from the list. The second clip shows a simulation of protein dynamics produced by Marcus Bage in Dr. Pisliakov’s lab. The simulation shows the Capping Enzyme GTase interacting with the C-terminal Domain of RNA Polymerase II.