Jmol is a program for viewing molecular 3D chemical structures. It works in four independent modes based on Java. The application supports many file types, including PDB, CIF, SDF, MOL, PyMOL PSE, and Spartan files, as well as output from many quantum chemistry programs. Multiple files can be uploaded and compared. A rich scripting language and a well-designed web API make it easy to customize the user interface.

Basic tools

The first thing worth noting is the excellent interactive graphics of Jmol. The app uses HTML5/canvas for all modern browsers, including iOS and mobile. At the same time, it is pretty small and does not slow down the operation of the device. You can load and create many surface formats to follow atom interactions. Complete crystallographic symmetry is also possible, which will appeal to experienced scientists. The app is quite easy to use compared to other similar apps. You can customize the web interface as you like for a comfortable experience.

Technical capabilities of the software

The technical part of the application includes additional Java options on the server side. It contains a generalized JavaScript library for exporting Swing and PDF to client-side JavaScript. A well-documented scripting language with over 1000 tokens ensures the stability of the entire application. Regarding file formats, Jmol supports more than 60 file formats and can compress output files from bulk data. You can export the finished project in GIF, JPG, PNG, PDF, WRL, and other structures.

Community

A good advantage of the Jmol application is its active worldwide community of users. Some collect much information about using Jmol and publish regular updates on the Wikipedia page. There you can familiarize yourself with the principles of the program in the most detailed way. Also, in the application archives on the official website, there are many messages about solving various problems that may happen to you.

If you are interested in molecular visualization in the chemical sciences, you can join the Jmol-users mailing list. There you can share ideas and experiences, ask for help, send us feedback, request new features or changes, discuss implementation, submit fixes, or contribute code. This is an excellent opportunity to join the project and make it better for others.

Should I download Jmol for Windows?

If you are a student or scientist and have to study chemical, physical or biological sciences - you should try Jmol. This is a reasonably advanced molecule editor and a 3D visualizer. It has a robust plugin architecture and a simple interface. In addition, the application is flexible, and you can extend its tools with third-party plugins and extensions. Jmol supports many world languages ​​for its users.