UCSF Chimera

UCSF Chimera is a streamlined yet powerful piece of software that aims to provide you with all the necessary tools for visualizing and analyzing molecular structures.

The app is well-equipped for interactive visualization purposes as well as for analyzing density maps, supramolecular assemblies, conformational ensembles, trajectories, docking results and sequence alignments.

Upon first launching the application, you are met by an almost too simple main window with nothing more than a visualization panel and a compact menubar, unlike other molecular analysis tools that usually go with extensive toolbars.

UCSF Chimera sacrifices a bit of practicality for the sake of offering a distraction-free environment for molecule analysis. It also comes with a hefty documentation section that you should take a bit of time to read, as it may help you cut in half the learning period.

When it comes to features, the utility offers more than you would be tempted to believe upon first sight. First off, you should know that it can generate high-quality images and animations. It also comes with a sequence viewer that actually makes it possible for you to find, view and edit sequence alignments.

Without over complicating things, it should be mentioned that the tool comes with support for interactive shadows, morphing, Ramachandran plots and blast proteins.

You should also know that UCSF Chimera enables you to change the background, namely you can change the graphics window to a single color, a vertical gradient of multiple colors or even load an image from your computer.

The utility comes with a streamlined interface, a hefty documentation, tutorials and examples that can help you get started right away. Bottom line, UCSF Chimera is a powerful application for molecular analysis that packs many useful features without feeling intimidating.