Time Critical Computing and Rendering of Molecular Surfaces Using a Zonal Map

Abstract

We describe the zonal map, a data structure used for the visualization of large, time dependent molecular configurations in virtual environments. The governing idea of the zonal map is to use the user s line of sight to define a region of interest onto which time critical algorithms can be applied. Two examples of time critical algorithms are given: for computing and rendering of solvent-accessible surfaces of protein molecules. We show that substantial performance gains can be obtained by using the zonal map.