Interactive 3D Molecular Models
Add glow
Show sphere.
Change to licorice and surface with opacity 0.1
Cartoon View of Molecular Structures
- Cartoon: Shows the secondary structure of proteins and the backbone of nucleic acids. Very common representation. Not applicable to small molecules, sugars, lipids, or ions.
Backbone View of Molecular Structures
- Backbone: Shows the backbone trace of proteins and the backbone of nucleic acids. Not applicable to small molecules, sugars, lipids, or ions.
Spheres View of Atoms in Molecular Structures
- Spheres (or Spacefill): Shows each atom as a sphere with a radius based on the van der Waals radius. Size can be customized. Emphasizes the atom and hides the bonds.
Ball and Stick Molecular Model
- Ball and Stick: Shows each atom as a small sphere and each bond as a stick. Emphasis split between the atom and the bond.
Bond-Focused Molecular Visualization Model
- Licorice (or Sticks): Show each bond as a stick. Atoms can be seen by color, but not by shape alone. Emphasis is on bonds. For ions, the result is a small sphere.
Surface Model for Molecular Shape
- Surface: Shows a thin envelope around a molecule. Emphasizes the overall shape. Often used with different opacity levels to layer with other representations.
Mesh Representation of Molecular Surface
- Mesh: Shows a thin mesh envelope around a molecule that is semi-transparent. Setting the level of the mesh to be lower results in more detail.
Glow Effect in Molecular Visualization
- Glow: Show a transparent, spherical glow around each atom. Best used in combination with licorice.