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Whether you’re a chemical engineer, student, teacher, or just a chemistry buff, visualizing atoms, molecules, and chemical compounds can be very challenging. It gets even more annoying when you have to illustrate it for other people. Luckily, there are apps that can visualize these elements for you. Avogado is one such application. Avogadro is a free and open source molecule editor where users can enter chemical compounds and elements and create a visual image for them.

System requirements

Avogadro is available for three major operating systems; Windows, Mac and Linux. There are no minimum recommended specifications for Avogadro, so you shouldn’t have any problems trying to run it regardless of the operating system you’re using. Of course, using advanced hardware and OS will help it run more smoothly.

Interface

Avogado has a simple interface consisting of only a toolbar, a preview window, and an options panel. The toolbar contains the editing tools needed to create 3D graphics of molecules. Additional options for each tool will be displayed in the options bar on the left side of the application window. Finally, 3D graphics can be previewed in the preview window opposite the options bar.

Editing Tools

Avogado’s editing tools are very intuitive and easy to use. There are nine basic tools for creating 3D molecular models: Draw, Navigate, Link Oriented Manipulation, Manipulate, Select, Auto Rotate, Auto Optimize, Measure, and Align . The Draw tool is used to draw and adjust molecules in the 3D model, while the Navigation tool allows users to view the model by panning, rotating and zooming in the window. The bond-oriented manipulation tool allows users to adjust the bonds and angles between molecules, while the manipulation tool adjusts the molecules themselves. In addition, the Selection tool can be used to select specific parts of the model. Auto Rotation and Auto Optimization allow users to adjust the continuous rotation of the model and optimize the molecular geometry accordingly. Finally, the Align tool moves the molecule along a specific axis, while the Measure tool measures bond lengths and other dimensions.

Flexibility

As open source software, Avogadro’s source code is fully available on the Internet and can be modified and edited by interested contributors. Avogadro can also be improved by adding extensions and plugins. The application can also support a large selection of file formats, including CML, XYZ, SDF, Mol2, and more.

For chemists and hobbyists

The ability to visualize molecules has many uses for anyone working in the chemical industry. With that in mind, Avogadro is a must for people interested in chemistry. This will help both students and teachers improve their learning skills, as well as professionals who simply need a 3D model of a visual aid for molecules. Whether it’s elements, simple connections, or complex connections, Avogadro is definitely capable of rendering 3D models for you.