[ Macroshape ]

A variety of shapes can be constructed using ICM. These shapes are referred to as meshes. The types of shapes you can build are shown below:

All the buttons for creating these shapes are shown here:

To make a shape select it from the menu by clicking on the down arrow and then click the button next to the menu. The shape will then be displayed in the 3D graphics window.

9.2.1 Macroshape

A macroshape can be constructed and allows easy viewing and manipulation of the structural representation. A macroshape representation is ideal for large structures which allows the user to easily identify important regions of the structure and facilitate the return to the 'standard' view of a particular molecule. All the buttons needed to display a macroshape structure are shown below in the 'meshes' tab.

To construct a macroshape:

• Load a molecule into ICM File/Open or tab-pdb{PDB Search}
• Select the amount of detail required in the shape by increasing the values in 'N' or 'step' data entry box (note the default values are usually sufficient).
• Check the 'color' if you wish your molecule to be colored.
• Click the button labeled 'MacroShape'.

Macroshape can also be used from the View menu: View/Macro Shape