The Mol* 3D viewer supports immersive Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) viewing. This feature allows you to explore 3D molecular structures in a spatial environment—placing molecules in your physical space or stepping inside a virtual scene to examine structures. Whether you are using a VR headset or a compatible mobile device, XR viewing lets you interact with molecular structures in a more intuitive and engaging way.

Understanding the spatial organization of macromolecular structures is central to structural biology. While traditional 3D viewers allow rotation and zooming on a screen, immersive XR environments enable researchers to explore structures at true spatial scale, helping reveal relationships between chains, domains, ligands, and nucleic acids within large assemblies. Viewing complexes in AR or VR can make it easier to interpret interfaces, binding sites, and overall architecture, particularly for large macromolecular machines.

Launching AR/VR Mode

If your device and browser support immersive XR:

1. Open a structure page on RCSB.org and go to the Mol* 3D viewer.
2. Look for the XR (AR/VR) icon in the viewer toolbar.
3. Click the icon to enter immersive mode.
4. You can exit XR at any time and return to the standard 3D viewer.

The same molecular scene and representation settings are preserved when switching between standard 3D view and XR mode.

Supported Devices

AR/VR support depends on browser support for the WebXR standard.

Virtual Reality (VR) Headsets

Tested devices include:

• Meta Quest 3
• Meta Quest 2
• Some Pico VR headsets

Apple Vision Pro Support

Support depends on the version of visionOS:

• visionOS 2 or later – WebXR support is enabled by default in Safari.
• visionOS 1.x – WebXR required manually enabling experimental settings.

If using visionOS 1.x:

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Apps → Safari → Advanced → Feature Flags
3. Enable WebXR Device API

Mobile Augmented Reality (AR)

On supported Android phones, AR is available in “magic window” mode. In this mode:

• The molecular structure appears floating in your physical space.
• Move your phone to view the structure from different angles, as if looking through a window.

Basic gestures:

• Drag – rotate the structure
• Pinch – zoom in or out
• Tap – focus on selection

Interacting with Structures in VR

When using a VR headset, you can manipulate the molecular scene using the headset controllers.

Common controls include:

Controller Action	Function
Joystick forward/back	Move the scene closer or farther
Trigger gesture	Scale the scene (on session start the scene is scaled to fit 1/3m)
Trigger click	Focus on selection
Trigger drag	Rotate the structure
Squeeze button	Highlight structural elements

Additional headset buttons:

Button	Function
B	Exit XR session
A	Toggle pass-through view (when available)
X / Y	Switch between saved snapshots. Y - next snapshot, X - previous snapshot

When a session begins, the structure is automatically scaled to a comfortable viewing size.

Try It with These Structures

To experience immersive visualization, try opening one of these structures in the Mol* viewer:

• Ribosome: PDB ID pdb_00004v6f
• Antibody–antigen complex: PDB ID pdb_00003etb
• GroEL–GroES chaperonin complex: PDB ID pdb_00001aon

Look for the XR icon in the viewer toolbar to launch immersive mode: Launching AR/VR Mode.

Performance Tips

Large macromolecular assemblies (such as ribosomes) can be computationally demanding in XR environments. If you are using a standalone VR headset:

• Consider lowering the viewer quality setting from Auto to Medium or Low.
• This can help maintain smooth performance (typically 72–90 frames per second).

Notes and Limitations

• The same molecular scene is preserved when switching between standard 3D view and XR mode.
• For performance reasons, some visual effects may be disabled in XR.
• XR functionality depends on device, browser, and operating system support for WebXR.