CrystalMaker Help > Guide > Building

Icon

Building a new Crystal

CrystalMaker deals with two kinds of structures: crystals (which have translational symmetry, defined by their lattice parameters); and "molecules" (which are treated as isolated units, without translational symmetry).

You can build a new crystal structure in one of three ways:

  1. By importing data in a text file. The file can be in one of a number of file formats (e.g., CIF, ICSD, SHELX, etc.).

    In most cases you can load a text file simply by using the File > Open command. CrystalMaker will scan the file, determine its format, and proceed to display a structure. If there is a problem reading a file in this way, you can try using the File > Import submenu, and opt to bypass the file-format check.

  2. By typing data into the Edit Crystal sheet. Use the File > New Crystal command to display the sheet.