Chem3D - Spectrum Viewer

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Spectrum View Scalability issues on QHD+ screen with high DPI

DISCUSSION:

Back in 2017 (beta v17) I was reporting many issues related to appearance of some menus and graphic elements of Chem3D on QHD+ screen with high DPI.

For instance, this issue with Spectrum Viewer is traced back to this report:

C3D CDBT-309 (DSK-15665): Spectrum Viewer

It was placed on a trace list.

Irwin Schreiman commented:

Hi Victor, we are tracking this issue with DSK-15665: no 4K support for Chem3D, and hope to address it in a future release.

A few of them have been fixed [for instance, CDBT-279 (DSK-15665)]. Unfortunately, a pace of addressing those GUI abnormalities on Hi DPI screens is slow.

Windows 10 offers specific display settings to compensate small appearance of some GUI elements on High DPI screens ("Scale and layout", on 13.3" screen with 3200x1800 I use recommended 250%), but Chem3D doesn't pick it up everywhere. For instance, font sizes for Main menu, Open, Save, Print windows are scaled up, but some GUI elements are too small (Chem3D Open menu, VD-BetaV21-0018.png, red rectangle) and are not uniform with design style of Win10 [compare with Open menu of Win10 native app Notepad].

Back to the Spectrum Viewer.

1. Calculated Gamess UV-Vis spectrum doesn't scale-up, has a fixed size and appears at the top-left corner of Spectrum Viewer (VD-BetaV21-0019.png, dashed red line).

2. Additionally, the header above the spectrum [UV/Visible Spectrum] is partly obscured as well as the texts in the Main menu of Spectrum Viewer window (VD-BetaV21-0019.png, two red arrows). Compare to the Figure 6.11 from "Chem3D v20.1 User Guide.pdf" [page 132, see VD-BetaV21-0020.png, green arrows]. That picture of Spectrum Viewer window doesn't show described abnormalities [was made on a standard resolution screen].

3. Graphs of Gamess IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and Raman Spectra correctly scale-up with increase of Spectrum Viewer window (VD-BetaV21-0021.png, green rectangle) until it reaches the Actual Size [F5].

4. Further increase of Spectrum Viewer window doesn't increase Games IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR or Raman Spectrum graph size or texts (VD-BetaV21-0022.png, red dashed lines). See enclosed video to further understand these reported issues (Spectrum Viewer.mp4).

5. Right click on calculated UV-Vis spectrum window in Spectrum Viewer doesn't show "ChemDraw Plugin" window [IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and Raman spectrum windows do]. It means, you cannot print UV-Vis spectrum.

6. Printing graphs from IR, 1H NMR and Raman spectrum windows always have a fixed size independent of paper size or orientation: the same size for A4 and A5 Portrait or Landscape orientation. It means, graphs don't fit to A5 Portrait (VD-BetaV21-0023.png).

HOW TO GET GRAPHS SPECTRUM VIEWER:

1. Install Gamess and make it working from Chem3D (see CDBETA21-I-52).

2. Draw Propene.

3. From "Main Menu" > "Calculations" > "Gamess Interface" choose "Minimize (Energy/Geometry)". Click "Run". Wait till calculation is completed.

4. From "Main Menu" > "Calculations" > "Gamess Interface" choose "Predict IR/Raman Spectrum". Click "Run". Wait till calculation is completed.

5. Repeat for "Predict UV/Vis Spectrum" and "Predict 1H NMR Spectrum".

6. Open Spectrum Viewer from "Main Menu" > "View".

7. Observe described issues.

EXPECTED BEHAVIOR:

1. Calculated Gamess UV-Vis spectrum should scale-up with size change of Spectrum Viewer window similar to Graphs of Gamess IR and Raman Spectra.

2. Texts in the Main menu of Spectrum Viewer window should not be partly obscured.

3. The header above the Gamess UV-Vis spectrum [UV/Visible Spectrum] should not be partly obscured.

4. Right click menu on the Gamess UV-Vis spectrum of Spectrum Viewer should be available.

5. Printing of spectrum graphs should fit the chosen page size-orientation? Or at least scale-down, when printing is attempted on a smaller page [A5 Portrait], where "Actual Size" of the graph doesn't fit.

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FILES:

VD-BetaV21-0018.png
VD-BetaV21-0019.png
VD-BetaV21-0020.png
VD-BetaV21-0021.png
VD-BetaV21-0022.png
VD-BetaV21-0023.png
Spectrum Viewer.mp4

Windows 10 Pro, version 21H1, 64-bit OS Build 19043.1348,
Yoga 2 Pro (i7-4500U, 8GB), 13.3" high resolution QHD+ screen (3,200×1,800)
Intel HD graphics family (driver version 20.19.15.4642, driver date: 28/03/2017)
Windows OS Display settings for "Scale and layout" are: 250% (Recommended)
Chem3D Beta v21.0.999.2240