The following article recently appeared in the New York Times Online: “Where Cinema And Biology Meet.” It discusses molecular animation, and how molecular animators are able to make movies that show cellular processes. I was surprised upon reading it that there was no mention of the field of medical illustration, of which I consider scientific animation to be a sub-sub-specialty. I love watching these animations, though they fill me with a mixture of jealousy and admiration, for I have never been a part of producing anything quite so cool!
An image from the animation "Powering The Cell: Mitochondria" by BioVisions
So, how do molecular animators make these movies? The 3D spatial coordinates of many molecules can be found on the Protein Data Bank website, downloaded, and imported into the animation software Maya (via a plugin called ”Digizyme”). When I was at UIC, we attempted, with mixed success, to import molecular structures into 3DS Max. I chose a hemoglobin molecule, but the structure was so complicated that it tended to crash the program if there were too many of them in the scene. I suspect that Maya has a better way to render the molecules, just as points instead of surfaces.
But the more important question might be why do the animators make these movies? It is easy to get wrapped up in their coolness factor. It’s easy to understand why the artists want to make movies like these, they are beautiful and complicated, and very interesting to watch (for a certain audience!). I’m sure they are fun to plan and maybe even fun to make. The article says that the field of molecular animation is growing rapidly, but why?
According to this article, the visualizations are being used for molecular and cell bio research, in order to test hypotheses about proteins and other molecules. The other obvious market for molecular animations is for use in education. One upcoming textbook was mentioned.
Speaking from the perspective of a relatively recent graduate from a medical illustration program and former research assistant, I suspect that these two markets are not exactly booming. During the Bush administration, research budgets were slashed dramatically, and while funding has become more avialable, grant money is still difficult to attain. Meanwhile, educational publishing is one of the worst-paying markets for medical illustrators, and one that is being heavily outsourced.
I used to think that pharmaceutical advertising would be a market for such animations, but it turns out that showing how drugs work is not what entices people to buy them. Marketing direct-to-consumers is more about showing the sad person becoming happy, or the old man playing with his grandson. The actual results in human terms, of course with disclaimers worked poetically into the narrative.
As a career direction, I am dubious about molecular animation. While I do think it would be fun, and there are not many of them around, it’s highly possible the market is saturated already.
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