PyMOL

PyMOL is an open-source, user-sponsored, molecular visualization system created by Warren Lyford DeLano and commercialized by DeLano Scientific LLC, which is a private software company dedicated to creating useful tools that become universally accessible to scientific and educational communities. It is well suited to producing high quality 3D images of small molecules and biological macromolecules such as proteins. According to the author, almost a quarter of all published images of 3D protein structures in the scientific literature were made using PyMOL.

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PyMOL is one of few open source visualization tools available for use in structural biology. The Py portion of the software's name refers to the fact that it extends, and is extensible by, the Python programming language.

Non-free binaries

On August 1, 2006, DeLano Scientific adopted a controlled-access download system for precompiled PyMOL builds (including betas) distributed by the company. Access to these executables is now limited to paying customers only. However, current source code continues to be available at no cost as are older precompiled builds. While the build systems for other platforms are open, the win32 build system is not. This means that the only way windows users can obtain newer versions of PyMOL is to become paying customers.

See also

• VMD
• Gabedit
• Molden
• Molekel
• Molecular modelling
• Jmol
• RasMol
• WHAT IF software
• Cn3D