Here, a short step-by-step manual is provided showing how to work with the CELLmicrocosmos CellExplorer. Of course, not all functionalities will be discussed. The focuse here will be laid on the navigation and the generation of tours.
Below the menu bar there is a button bar. There, a number of preconfigured models are available which can be directly loaded into the CellExplorer. Of course, it is also possible to load any other .Cm3 or .Cm4 file into the CellExplorer by using the menu entry: "File" ⇒ "Load Cm3/Cm4 File". But which file formats are these?
The standard navigation in Floating Mode is done with the W/A/S/D keys (forward/left/backward/right movement). By holding shift, the view changes temporarily to Flight Mode and the user can turn the camera by using the arrow keys. Moreover, he can use the mouse for navigation: left mouse button - forward, right mouse button - backward, and mouse movement rotates the camera. With caps lock pressed, the Flight Mode can be permanently activated. For zooming the view, the mouse wheel can be used. To move around objects, double click an object during Floating Mode, switching to Object-bound Mode. Again, the WASD keys can be used for movement, but now around the object, as well as the mouse by pressing the left mouse button. To rotate the camera, use the right mouse button. To change the distance towards the object, use the center mouse button (or the right mouse button by pressing the ALT key. To leave the Object-bound mode, double-click onto a free place with the mouse cursor (or use the context menu by pressing the right mouse button or the Page-down key).
The educational edition - CE3 - provides information for every cell component, describing biochemical basics of a selected cell component.
To get this information, please right-click on a cell component in the CellUniverse or by selecting the corresponding entry in the CellEditor (right click onto a cell component term) "Show Information". The window InformationBrowser will be shown. In case, more information are required and you have an active Internet connection, just click on the link "Further Information" which will lead you to the corresponding Wikipedia web page.
Several studies show that
the Quality of Wikipedia can nowadays often compete with the one of
established lexica. Please be aware that you should be always
critical towards the content of Wikipedia because it can be changed
on a daily basis by different users with different backgrounds and
opinions.
To create a tour Um jetzt eine kleine Tour zu erstellen, wird, wie bei der Informationsanzeige, ein Rechtsklick auf die gewünschten Komponenten ausgeführt, aber der Menüpunkt "Add Component to Tour". Repeat this process e.g. for Nucleus, Mitochondrion and Peroxisome. You just created you first tour. But we will give you now a few other information how to edit this tour.
To save a tour with its settings, a .Cm4 file has to be saved. For this purpose, select in the menu bar "File" ⇒ "Save as Cm4 File".
The tour can be started by selecting "Start Tour" after right-clicking 1) in the CellUniverse, 2) onto the tour list in the 2DViewer, or 3) pressing the corresponding button in the bottom bar of the 2DViewer.