The ViewChangeRender plugin can be found in the Extension->Visualization menu and provides an easy-to-use interface for managing sets of VMD viewpoints, and performing camera moves between the views. Provided is the interface you see to the right that allows you to store and manage viewpoints, as well as move between them. Also provided is an interface to the Movie Maker plugin via its user-defined script movie option. With the combination of these two plugins, it is easy to make movies that can change views while progressing through a dcd file.

The top half of the window is dedicated to managing viewpoints, while the bottom half of the window is dedicated to constructing and editing the movie.

The shortest steps to making a movie is as follows:
1. Load a molecule into VMD.
2. Open ViewChangeRender.
3. Save two viewpoints and add them to the movie list.
4. Change the movie duration with the Set Total Time button.
5. Open the Extension->Visualization->Movie Maker plugin
6. In the Movie Settings menu (in the Movie Maker window), select User-Defined Procedure.
7. Click the Enable button in the ViewChangeRender window.
8. Click Make Movie in the Movie Maker window.

Below the specific function avialable in ViewChangeRender is detailed.

Viewpoint Management

A viewpoint is defined as the collection of variables that specify the camera angle and position, as well as the frame number for all molecules. This means that any given viewpoint could be used with any given trajectory. It is thus important to remember which files were loaded for a given set of viewpoints. The currently saved viewpoints are numbered in the viewpoint list labelled "Viewpoint #". For viewpoint management, the following functions are available

Save Viewpoint
This stores the present viewpoint, as seen in the VMD Display, as a new entry in the viewpoint list.

Replace Viewpoint
This replaces the presently selected viewpoint in the viewpoint list with that currently shown in the VMD Display.

Insert Viewpoint
This inserts a viewpoint after the presently selected viewpoint in the viewpoint list. Proceeding viewpoint numbers will increase to account for the newly inserted viewpoint.

Delete Viewpoint
This removed the selected viewpoint from the viewpoint list.

Renumber Viewpoint
Using this button you can change the number of a selected viewpoint. Note you can only change to an unused number.

Displaying Viewpoints

There are two buttons to change to any selected viewpoint in the viewpoint list:

Retrieve Viewpoint
Clicking this button will change the current view in the VMD Display window to the selected viewpoint in the viewpoint list.

Move To Viewpoint
Using this button, you can move smoothly from the current view in the VMD Display window to the one selected in the viewpoint list. If the selected viewpoint is associated to a different frame, the frames will be animated through.

Movie Control

Using the Add Viewpoint to Movie or Add All Viewpoints to Movie you can add viewpoint into the movie list (the list in the lower half of the windowd). The time that appears next to a frame number in the movie list is the time in seconds it will take to transition from that frame to the next one down in the list. When a viewpoint is added the default transition time is the difference in the trajectory frames x the framerate. I.e. if viewpoint #1 is at frame 0 and viewpoint #2 is at frame 240, then the transition time from 1->2 will be 240/24 = 10 secs (the default framerate is 24 fps and can be changed in the Movie Maker plugin). If the difference in the trajectory frames of the viewpoints is 0, then a default transition time of 0.5 seconds is assigned.

Changing the total time sets a scaling factor such that any editing that is dobe to the movie (viewpoint order or the addition or removal of viewpoints) the transitions times are changed appropriately. If, however, you change a specific transition time, this will be lost in any editing changes that involve the specific transition.

The function of each button is detailed below:


Remove From Movie
This removes the viewpoint selected in the movie list from the list of movies. Transition times are update appropriately as detailed above.

Move Up
This button moves the selected viewpoint up in the movie list. Note that this will re-calculate the transition times for the transitions affected.

Move Down
This button moves the selected viewpoint down in the movie list. Note that this will re-calculate the transition times for the transitions affected.

Clear List
This will clear the list allowing you to create a new movie.

Change Transition Time
This button will alter the transition time of the selected transition in the movie list. The total duration of the movie will be updated accordingly

Set Total Time
This button is used to change the total duration of the movie. Note that this will update all the transitions to reflect their new transition times such that their total is the newly entered time.

Movie Maker Connection

The Movie Maker plugin is used to render a movie from the movie list. Clicking the Enable button will allow ViewChangeRender to set the movie duration in movie maker, and will enable Movie Maker to process the movie list when the User Defined Procedure setting is selected in Movie Maker.