[PyMOL] calculate orientation matrix based on normal

[<rb...@uc...>]

Dear All,

I want to get a specific view set up in PyMOL based upon the coordinates inthe
PDB file. I have calculated where the center should be (i.e. c.o.m. of the
coordinates) and then calculated the plane a*x + b*y + c*z = 1 for three points
to get the plane I want for the image, and the normal to that plane, i.e.
normalized vector (a,b,c). I want the view to look at the atoms up or down this
normal.

I can't figure out how to calculate the orientation matrix I want, can anyone
tell me how? See the values below:

center =  47.583,   -7.099,  -11.403

normal = ( 0.23972,  0.79028   0.56391 )

The approximate orientation matrix, from alignment by eye

set_view (\
     0.654,   -0.692,    0.305,\
    -0.244,   -0.574,   -0.781,\
     0.716,    0.437,   -0.544,\
     0.000,    0.000, -120.000,\
    47.583,   -7.099,  -11.403,\
    70.000,  170.000,    0.000 )

Any help greatly appreciated

Richard Baxter