ERIC Number: EJ1073057
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Aug
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Three Dimensional (3D) Printing: A Straightforward, User-Friendly Protocol to Convert Virtual Chemical Models to Real-Life Objects
Rossi, Sergio; Benaglia, Maurizio; Brenna, Davide; Porta, Riccardo; Orlandi, Manuel
Journal of Chemical Education, v92 n8 p1398-1401 Aug 2015
A simple procedure to convert protein data bank files (.pdb) into a stereolithography file (.stl) using VMD software (Virtual Molecular Dynamic) is reported. This tutorial allows generating, with a very simple protocol, three-dimensional customized structures that can be printed by a low-cost 3D-printer, and used for teaching chemical education topics. With the use of the free licensed and multiplatform software, colored input geometries can be obtained by a simple-click modification procedure in order to generate .obj and .mtl files. An easy protocol to create personal .pdb files for 3D-printing technology is also reported.
Descriptors: Visual Aids, Models, Printing, Chemistry, Molecular Structure, Science Instruction, Computer Uses in Education, Hands on Science
Division of Chemical Education, Inc and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A