README

=====================
  PyQCPROT README
=====================

Author:   Joshua L. Adelman, University of Pittsburgh 
Contact:  jla65@pitt.edu

PyQCPROT is a python/cython implementation of Douglas Theobald's QCP method for
calculating the minimum RMSD between two structures and determining the optimal 
least-squares rotation matrix.

A full description of the method, along with the original C implementation can 
be found at:
http://theobald.brandeis.edu/qcp/

If you use this QCP rotation calculation method in a publication, please reference:

      Douglas L. Theobald (2005)
      "Rapid calculation of RMSD using a quaternion-based characteristic polynomial."
      Acta Crystallographica A 61(4):478-480.

      Pu Liu, Dmitris K. Agrafiotis, and Douglas L. Theobald (2010)
      "Fast determination of the optimal rotational matrix for macromolecular superpositions."
      J. Comput. Chem. 31, 1561-1563. 

License
======= 
This code code is released under the BSD 3-clause license as noted in the .pyx source code 
or LICENSE file. 
The original C code is copyright:
2009-2010, Pu Liu and Douglas L. Theobald
This implementation is copyright
2011, Joshua L. Adelman

Installation
============

This module requires:
numpy http://numpy.scipy.org/
cython (optional) http://cython.org/
gcc http://gcc.gnu.org/

Method 1: 
To compile the extension in the directory in which qcprot.pyx resides:
$ python setup.py build_ext --inplace

For further information on compiling cython extensions see:
http://docs.cython.org/src/userguide/source_files_and_compilation.html

Method 2:
If you do not have cython installed, you can build the extension directly from the cython generated
pyqcprot.c. This is handled automatically by setup.py.

Example Usage
=============

See example.py for a simple example

For an example using the MDAnalysis package (http://code.google.com/p/mdanalysis/) 
see mdanalysis_example.py