Great news Mac users: The just-released Mac OS X 10.5.5 patch fixes the longstanding Stereo 3D compositing problems under Leopard.
So, if MacPyMOL is the primary application for which you require Stereo 3D, then as of today, you can safely buy a new Quadro-equipped Mac Pro or upgrade your existing Mac system to Leopard without losing the ability to work in Stereo 3D. Hooray! However, if you currently rely upon Stereo 3D in X11-based software which presently works under Tiger's X11, then you should continue to hold off on upgrading until Leopard's X11 (Xquartz) is updated to support stereo 3D contexts as well. I believe that this is something the Xquartz open-source project can now accomplish independently of Apple, but to my knowledge, that work has not yet been completed. Capable volunteers are sought. Refer to http://xquartz.macosforge.org/trac/ticket/45 for info & progress. On behalf of our entire user community, I would like to issue special thanks to the folks in Apple developer relations & technical support for fixing Stereo 3D in Leopard. PyMOL users, please do make a point of letting your Apple contacts know just how much we appreciate their continued attention to the special needs of the scientific, medical, and technical visualization markets. If you don't have any such contacts, then please send such feedback to me and I will happily forward it along. Cheers, Warren mailto:[email protected]
