Protein folding is a process in which the protein chain being assemble by a ribosome, forms its final 3d shape. Protein folding is a spontaneous process where the amino acids it’s composed of bind and interact with each other until they are tangled up into their exact, perfect shape. I always loved the visual of these little strands “knowing” what do and essentially folding themselves.
In order to give a protein folding animation a spontaneous look, I used a CG shortcuts tutorial (link below) on how to animate dynamic noodles falling into a bowl, as inspiration. When you reverse the force of gravity and simulate the noodles falling upwards into an invisible bowl, you get a complex and organic motion that resembles protein folding! You may also get hungry for noodles.
-Amanda
