CrystalMaker Help > Guide > Embellishments

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Atom Vectors

CrystalMaker allows you to display vectors from any atom, in any direction and in any colour. These may prove useful for indicating the direction of atom offsets (e.g., ferroelastic distortion) or ferroelectric vectors. You might also wish to display magnetic vectors.

You can add as many vectors to an atom as you wish. Individual vectors can be edited, to change their orientation, length and colour, and it is possible to select vectors en masse, for editing purposes.

To add a vector to a selected atom or group of selected atoms:

  1. Choose the Selection > Vectors > Add command.

  2. Enter an orientation, colour and vector length in the Define Vector sheet.

The Edit Vector sheet lets you define a vector's orientation using [UVW] indices, that is, components U, V, W along the crystallographic axes x, y, and z. Non-integral values are permitted.

You can opt to specify the vector length explicity, or have this calculated from the vector indices.

To edit a vector's settings:

  1. Select the vector or group of vectors, by clicking on the vector cone with the Arrow Tool. The cones of selected vectors are shown highlighted.

  2. Choose the Selection > Vectors > Edit command.

  3. Enter new settings in the Define Vector sheet that appears.

(You can also edit a vector's orientation by clicking-and-dragging its vector cone with the mouse.)

To delete a vector:

  1. Select the vector, or group of vectors.

  2. Choose the Selection > Vectors > Delete command.