Features

Look at the powerful features listed below and follow links to look at examples or visit the gallery. More advanced features are available in Professional and Enterprise edition.

Photo-Realistic High Quality 3D Graphics

Crystal Studio produces photo-realistic graphics with stunning color and 3D realism augmented by controllable lighting effects and unlimited selection of colors and material properties for equivalent class of objects or individual objects. Such high quality 3D graphics can be saved as Windows Bitmap or standard JPEG files inside Crystal Studio itself or output to many Windows applications such as Adobe PhotoShop and Jasc Software Paint Shop Pro etc. to be saved as JPEG, gif or other files or built into animation gif or avi files etc.. Such animation files can be inserted into Power Point Presentations. Example1, Example2.

Crystal Studio can save the 3D image as Windows Bitmap files with a high resolution of 300dpi, 600dpi and/or 1200 dpi or higher. They are excellent for use in publications. Download high resolution images created with Crystal Studio via this link.

Crystal Studio can also save animations or your work steps into AVI (Audio Video Interleaved) files that can be played in MS Power Point presentations. Download an example file via this link and play it. This AVI example demonstrates selective build and Undo/Redo steps.

With the help of POV Ray Tracing (TM), a share ware, crystal Studio can also produce photo-realistic images with real material textures and save them as high resolution image files. Look at an example file via this link.

Crystal Studio can also print high quality graphics through high quality color printer or ink jet printers.

Database Powered

Crystal Studio is integrated with a crystallographic database. The database contains information about all 530 space group specifications from various versions of International Tables for (X-Ray) Crystallography, information on all elements in the Periodic Table including valence, radii etc. and latest data for atomic scattering amplitude and Debye-Waller factors for diffraction calculations. The database also include a crystal structure database and a layer/cluster database, you can build your own crystal structure database for easy access to your routine crystal structures.

Non-standard space group specifications can be created and added to the database by user. The 530 existing space group specifications can also be modified by users.

Crystal structures without space group specifications can also be created, built and stored in the database.

Simple User Interface

Most functions and procedures can be accomplished by simple mouse clicks. Use less than 5 mouse clicks to create a 3D crystal with stunning color and 3D realism, Use one more mouse click to plot powder XRD pattern, zone axis electron diffraction pattern or stereographic projections.

Double click on any object such as atoms, bonds and polyhedra invokes a dialog box for changing various aspects for that object and/or its equivalents. You can change various parameters either in individual or in equivalent classes. Double click anywhere else on the views invokes dialog or property sheet for you to change various parameters for the view. You can edit the crystal structure visually.

Right mouse button click on all views and objects invoke a context sensitive pop-up menu of commands for the views and objects, repectively. These pop-up menus make editing in 3D view quick and easy.

Furthermore, unlimited steps of Undo and Redo of all editing processes make editing in 3D view even more easier.

Moreover, the key board interface makes rotation and animation of the crystal structure very comfortable.

Multiple Tools

Crystal Studio provides multiple tools apart from the photo-realistic 3D crystal view. These include Powder XRD, neutron or electron diffraction Patterns for phase or phase mixtures, 3D Reciprocal Lattices, Zone Axis Electron Diffraction Patterns, Stereographic Projections for the crystal structure or matrix plus twin or second phase combined and two dimensional real and reciprocal lattices to aid surface RHEED analysis. Start View Crystal Structure Database Form View 3D View Molecule View Reciprocal Lattice View Powder Pattern View Space Group Form View Electron Diffraction Pattern View Stereographic Projection View

Various Crystal Defects

With Cystal Studio Version 5.0, various crystal defects can be created easily such as vacancies, interstitial atoms, edge and screw dislocations, stacking faults, twin boundaries and phase epitaxies. Example 1: An edge dislocation in the NaCl structure. Example 2: An FCC (111) Twin. Example 3: Kurdjumov-Sachs relationship between FCC and BCC and Diffraction Pattern.

Multiple Styles and Projection Methods

Crystal Studio presents multiple styles such as Ball and Stick Model, Stick Model, Space Filling Model, Thermal Motion Ellipsoid and Stick Model and Ball and Stick plus translucent Space Filling Model. Such styles can be mixed in a crystal structure by the use of Group Models for object groups. Example. Other styles can also be created by adjusting the relative scale for atoms and bonds or by including coordination or cavity polyhedra. Crystal Studio also presents two projection methods, i.e. Perspective and Othographic projections.

Crystal Studio can create any kind of coordination or cavity polyhedra. It also computes thermal motion ellipsoids with thermal parameters. It presents several different styles for the thermal ellipsoids.

File and Data Import and Export

Crystal Studio directly import CIF (Crystallographic Information File) files, mmCIF (Macro-Molecule Crystallographic Information File) files, PDB (Protein Data Bank) files, ICSD(inorganic Crystal Structure Database) files and indirectly import other common database files such as CSD (Cambridge Structure Database) files and CRYSTMET files with their output of CIF or mmCIF files.Example.

Crystal structure data and unit cell atom arrangement data saved in CSV (Comma Separated Values) files can be imported into the crystal structure database.

Crystal Studio can export standard CIF files. It can also export Atom Coordinates files for input into programs for simulation and modelling.

Crystal Studio can export crystal structure data as ASCII files from the database. It can also import crystal structure to the database from saved ASCII files or similar ASCII files created eslewhere.

Crystal Studio can export Powder XRD or ED Pattern as ASCII or CSV files. It can also export Distances and Angles as (.CSV) files to be viewed in MS Excel.

Crystal Studio can also save POV Ray Tracing (TM) Scene files or directly render to high resolution image files.

Unit Cell Transformations

With Crystal Studio, unit cells can be transformed by specifying the new Z axis of the new cell or by specifying a transformation matrix. Example: A normal FCC Al (Fm-3m) cell is transformed to a layered (ABCABC) cell structure by specifying the new Z axis as the [111] direction.

3D Plane Atom Arrangement Views

Crystal Studio can also create 3D plane atom arrangement views. It can also cleave crystals along specified planes. Example: FCC Al (Fm-3m) cell with its (111) and (110) plane atom arrangement views.

Combo Views

Add up to three sub-views from other open files or from plane atom views in the current file to the main view and move and/or rotate them to form an ideal scene (Combo View) and save it as high quality high resolution images.

Selective Build

Use Selective Build to construct framework or molecular cage sub-structures. Example: Fujasite Beta Cage.

Coordination and/or Cavity Polyhedra, Thermal Motion Ellipsoids and Atom Vectors

Create any kind of coordination or cavity polyhedra and search through out the crystal to create all equivalent polyhedra. Example. Calculate maximum cavity diameter for cavity polyhedra.

Plot thermal motion ellipsoids if the thermal displacement parameters for the atoms are given. Create atom vectors to indicate magnetic moment or dipole moment etc..

Powerful Features Lets You Build Various Kinds of Crystal Structures

1. Enter your crystal structure in database, you can use it every time you start the program.
2. Stack up your crystal structure layer by layer.
3. Delete, change or replace certain atoms with atomic clusters to build super-lattice cells etc. Example
4. Add atoms or a layer of atoms to a specified surface.
5. Fill coordination spheres so that all atoms for certain atom type have their coordination filled.
6. Set selection criteria for selective build to construct molecular cage etc..
7. Multiple cell styles, conventional, primitive (reduced), or customized, or even plotted as polyhedra stacks or stick model. Example1, Example 2, Example3, Examples4.
8. Visualize different planes or polyhedra in the crystal structure in translucent style. Example
9. Create atom views for different planes and/or layers, look at the atom stacking layer by layer in the same high quality stunning graphics. Example
10. Plot translucent or opaque vacant site polyhedra or coordination polyhedra. Example
11. Add interstitial atoms with site occupancy factors, do doping etc.
12. View the crystal in different directions, animate the crystal through a rotation axis and a rotation center with controllable speed, rotate the crystal by mouse drag etc?., the possibilities are unlimited.
13. Plot interactive powder XRD patterns, zone axis electron diffraction patterns and/or stereographic projections. Example
14. Create text label with the font, style, size and color of your choice.
15. All Hermann-Mauguin and Schoenflies symbols are displayed exactly as they appears in International Tables for Crystallography and other books with subscripts and superscripts and negative signs on top, not any strange symbols.

Hyper-Linked Online Help System

The hyper-linked online help system lets you navigate through related topics by mouse clicks. The context sensitive help allows you to get help from where you are by simply pressing the F1 key.

More advanced features for Professional and Enterprise editions

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Version 9.0 Released on January 8, 2007!

Free Vista Update Available.

New Features for Version 9.0.