The mouse, while positioned within the graphics display window, is used to perform a variety of functions. There are several different modes which the mouse may be in at any time; the current mouse mode determines what the effect is when the user presses the left or middle button. Each mouse mode, except the lights mode (see below), causes the cursor to acquire a characteristic shape. The mouse mode is changed via the popup menu; pressing the right mouse button brings up this menu, which contains several submenus with various commands. The first two submenus, `Mouse Mode' and `Picking Mode', are used to set the mouse mode. Note: the actions performed from the 'Mouse Mode' submenu do not change the atom coordinates, while the actions performed from the 'Picking Mode' do. The available modes are as follows:
You can keep the molecules rotating without continuously moving the mouse. Start the molecule moving with the mouse, as above, then release the mouse button before you stop moving the mouse. With some practice it becomes easy to impart a slight spin on the molecule, or whirl it about madly. To stop the rotation, either press and hold the left mouse button down until the molecule stops moving, or use the pop-up menu and select `Stop Rotation.'
The hot key to enter rotation mode is r. Also, pressing r or any of the other mouse mode hot keys causes the rotation to stop.
The translation hot key is t; pressing t while the mouse is in the graphics display window will change the mouse to translation mode.
The scaling hot key is s.
The light sources are located at infinity, so only their orientation is important. To enter the move light mode in order to position a specific light, select the `Move Light' submenu from the `Mouse Mode' menu, and select a light. Not all lights are turned on; those that are on are indicated with a check mark. Once a light is chosen, the mouse is set to rotate that light source; a line should appear from the origin towards the chosen light. The controls for this mode are the same as the rotation mode controls, so holding the left button down allows you to rotate the light around an axis parallel to the screen, while holding the middle button allows for rotations perpendicular to the screen. To stop moving the light source, change the mouse to another mode via the popup menu or by pressing a hot key.
If the light is not currently on, moving that light source will not affect any change in the displayed image. To turn a light on or off, use the Lights browser in the upper right of the Display form.