Viewing electron density data

This application can open and view electron density data, including superimposed on computed atom positions. Several file formats are supported.

Input formats

We accept the following input formats: map, MTZ, and 2fo-fc (a .mmcif variant). Map and MQT are binary formats which contain density data directly, as amplitudes over 3D space. This is in a format that directly maps to our display engine.

2fo-fc files are different: they contain comparatively unprocessed experimental data (e.g. reflections data), which must be converted to amplitudes over space using a 3D Fourier transform. We currently rely on Gemmi to open both MTZ and 2fo-fc files. This is bundled with the Windows version of this application, and is optionally installed on Linux via its setup script.

Visualization modes

There are 2 visualization modes: an iso-surface, and spheres. These can be toggled on or off indepdently. The Iso surface draws a transparent surface across all points where electron density equals a specific value. You can set this level with a slider in the UI.