CrystalMaker 7.2 review
DownloadCrystalMaker makes it easy to load structural data and generate spectacular, photo-realistic images, with the option of breathtaking "out-of-the-screen" 3D stereo (red/blue glasses included).
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CrystalMaker makes it easy to load structural data and generate spectacular, photo-realistic images, with the option of breathtaking "out-of-the-screen" 3D stereo (red/blue glasses included).
CrystalMaker includes real-time manipulation and the ability to edit and design new structures.
Here are some key features of "CrystalMaker":
Build Crystals & Molecules Fast!
CrystalMaker enables you to build even the most complex crystal or molecular structures, quickly and easily. User-friendly data editors feature built-in spacegroup and symmetry handling - and provide automatic generation of bonds and coordination polyhedra. Ball-and-stick, space-filling, wire-frame, stick, polyhedral and thermal-ellipsoid (Mac version) models are immediately available - and can be extensively customized.
CrystalMaker 7 for Mac OS X lets you display thermal ellipsoids with user-defined probability values, and a wide range of display styles, including plain "ORTEP" representations, through to photo-realistic and translucent styles.
Comprehensive Data Import
CrystalMaker can import structural data from the world's leading crystallographic databases and file formats. These include the Cambridge Structural Database "FDAT" format, Protein Data Bank (PDB), Inorganic Structures Database (ICSD), plus Chem3D Cartesian, CIF, SHELX, STRUPLO, CSSR, CCL, MacMolecule and CrystalMaker text files.
CrystalMaker can handle truly massive structures, such as this 500,-atom computer simulation.
Outstanding Graphics
CrystalMaker features photo-realistic graphics with depth fading, perspective and extensive control over rendering settings. Enjoy spectacular "out-of-screen" 3D stereo, using the supplied red/blue stereo glasses. Ultra-high resolution graphics can be exported in various formats. Simpler "line art" model styles - ideal for technical publications - are also available.
Real-time Rotation
Click-and-drag with the mouse, use the keyboard, or toolbar. View parallel to a lattice vector or plane normal. Continuous plot range settings - not limited to integral unit cell values - with virtually unlimited (2 billion) numbers of atoms, bonds and polyhedra. Auto-scale, auto-centre and zoom scaling.
Interactive Bond Searching
New bond editor previews coordination environments before you search. Display coordination clusters or shells; list bond distances or histograms on screen or save to disc. Measure bond distances, angles, torsion angles on screen. Calculate angles between planes and/or vectors.
Multiple Undo
CrystalMaker gives you up to 99 undo levels for each window - each with its own graphical thumbnail, displayed in "History" pane of the Overview window.
Recently-opened files are stored in a separate "Files" pane, for quick reference, and the "Views" pane lets you bookmark custom views, and intermediate stages of your work - with the option of returning to these at any time, or for plotting in different windows.
CrystalMaker's structure libraries contain a wealth of information - from organic molecules to zeolites;and from dental ceramics to high-Tc superconductors. And new structures are being added all the time.
Manipulation Tools
Move, detach, duplicate, hide, delete groups of atoms. Hide or repair molecular fragments - easy to isolate individual molecules. Display lattice planes in any orientation; slice the crystal to investigate surfaces or internal planes. Place new molecules into an existing structure.
Digital Video (Mac version)
CrystalMaker lets you record QuickTime movies as you work, with full control over frame rates and compression settings. There is also fully-automatic generation of QuickTime VR object movies (ideal for multimedia presentations).
Data Export
Industry-standard CIF files, plus PDB, Chem3D Cartesian, MacMolecule 1.x, and CrystalMaker text files. Also export full listings of atomic coordinates, bond distances and angles!
Diffraction Patterns (Mac version)
Generate x-ray or neutron powder diffraction patterns from any displayed crystal - with a single menu command - using CrystalDiffract (free Demo version available). Visualize single-crystal diffraction patterns and reciprocal lattice sections, using our new SingleCrystal program, featuring real-time tilt control, display of distances and angles, and phase information in colour!
Cross Platform
CrystalMaker 1 for Windows XP and CrystalMaker 7 for Mac OS X share the same binary file format, and similar feature sets, making cross-platform working and collaboration easy!
Crystal Structures Libraries
CrystalMaker is shipped with over 600 structures files, including the major rock-forming minerals plus important technological phases such as zeolites, superconductors and organic molecules. Each file is fully-annotated, with views and model types carefully chosen to highlight the salient structural features, and ready for immediate display.
We provide examples files, on CD-ROM, to illustrate some of the powerful features of CrystalMaker. You'll find these a useful way of getting up to speed with the new program's features. Additional files are provided to illustrate the various external file formats supported by CrystalMaker.
Multimedia Extras (Mac version)
The CrystalMaker CD-ROM is packed with extra resources which you can use in your teaching or research presentations. These include CrystalMaker-generated QuickTime movies (some in 3D stereo!), animations of phase transitions and QuickTime VR objects. You'll also find crystallographic desktop patterns and background pictures for structural models.
Deluxe User's Guide
Using CrystalMaker is easy - but to make sure you get the most out of this program we provide a lavishly-illustrated, printed and bound 160-page user's guide. This includes a guided tour, chapters on the major program features, a gallery of stunning images, summaries of text file formats, appendices and a comprehensive index.
Limitations:
Some options are disabled.
What's New:
Universal Binary
Non-destructive bond editing
More flexible polyhedral model options
User-friendly text file export
Enhanced Atom Info editing
And other major new features
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