PyMOL

PyMOL is a stand-alone molecular visualization program that is very popular with protein crystallographers because of the high quality of its rendering, its speed and versatility. A large percentage of the figures in journal publications reporting new macromolecular structures are created using PyMOL. PyMOL is the creation of Warren DeLano. Effective use of PyMOL requires that you become familiar with highly abbreviated menus, and/or a command scripting language.

Molecular scenes prepared in PyMOL can be imported into Protoepedia scenes, using the PyMOL2Jmol_Translator (not yet released), which allows you to choose a PyMOL session file (.pse file) that you have saved on your computer and have it converted directly into a Jmol scene to be saved and displayed in Proteopedia.

PyMOL has an innovative license: it is open source, but not free in all forms: the author's current ready-to-run downloads (binaries) and up-to-date documentation require payment of modest annual subscription fees. However, a current free version is available to students and educators for classroom use, old out-of-date binary builds can be freely downloaded by anyone, and some Linux distributions provide PyMOL packages compiled from the open-source code.

PyMOL has a strong user community which interacts via the PyMOL-Users mailing list and operates the PyMOL Wiki documentation site. The "Py" in PyMOL refers to the Python language, an integral part of the package. Python enables users to automate PyMOL with simple command scripts and to develop plugins with their own custom user interfaces.

Warren Lyford DeLano passed away suddenly on November 3, 2009, at the age of 37. DeLano Scientific LLC has announced that PyMOL remains available for download, and that support for PyMOL is continuing. A statement similar to the following was displayed on the Main Page of Proteopedia during the month following Dr. DeLano's passing:

It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing on November 3rd, 2009, of Dr. Warren Lyford DeLano. Dr. DeLano was the brilliant software innovator who created PyMOL, widely used by structural biologists, and for creating images of macromolecular structures displayed in scientific journals. Through his software, and his engaging, supportive, and accessible personality, he forged a bond even with people across the world whom he had never met. His presence will be sorely missed by his friends and family and the crystallographic and molecular visualization communities.

See AlsoSee Also

• PyMOL2Jmol Translator
• PyMOL.Org, the official download and information home of PyMOL.
• Molecular modeling and visualization software
• World Index of Molecular Visualization Software