Academic Journal
From wireframes to immersive reality: a historical perspective on molecular visualization software.
| Τίτλος: | From wireframes to immersive reality: a historical perspective on molecular visualization software. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Leitão AL; Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal., Enguita FJ; Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal. |
| Πηγή: | Briefings in bioinformatics [Brief Bioinform] 2026 Sep 01; Vol. 27 (5). |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Review; Historical Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Oxford University Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100912837 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1477-4054 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14675463 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Brief Bioinform Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Oxford : Oxford University Press Original Publication: London ; Birmingham, AL : H. Stewart Publications, [2000- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Software*/history , Computational Biology*/methods , Computational Biology*/history , Computer Graphics*, History, 21st Century ; History, 20th Century ; Virtual Reality |
| Περίληψη: | The evolution of molecular visualization software represents a pivotal yet often underappreciated dimension of computational structural biology and bioinformatics. As the scale and complexity of structural datasets increase, spanning from cryo-electron microscopy reconstructions to proteome-wide AI-predicted models, visualization tools have become essential for data interpretation, hypothesis generation, and effective scientific communication. Widely used platforms such as PyMOL, UCSF Chimera, and emerging virtual reality environments reflect decades of progressive innovation driven by advancements in computational hardware, graphics rendering, and algorithm development. This review traces the historical development of molecular graphics software, from early vector-based applications like FRODO and O, through interactive tools including RasMol and VMD, to modern real-time 3D visualization frameworks. We highlight key technological milestones and design principles that continue to shape contemporary software architectures, underscoring the interdisciplinary collaborations among chemists, structural biologists, and computer scientists that have propelled the field. Given the current integration of artificial intelligence, immersive visualization, and cloud computing in structural bioinformatics workflows, revisiting this topic provides critical context for guiding the design of more intuitive, scalable, and accessible visualization platforms. By documenting and critically analyzing this trajectory, the present work aims to honor the foundational contributions to molecular graphics while positioning the field as a dynamic and integral component of future bioinformatics research and computational discovery. (© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press.) |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: bioinformatics; graphical interface; molecular dynamics; molecular visualization |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260907 Date Completed: 20260907 Latest Revision: 20260909 |
| Update Code: | 20260909 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13549435 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/bib/bbag373 |
| PMID: | 42704848 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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