navigation background RBVI's DNA logo navigation background about projects people publications resources visit us search

Quick Links

UCSF ChimeraX Home

Advantages

Documentation

User Guide
Tutorials and Videos
Presentations

Download

Toolshed
Statistics

Citing ChimeraX

Contact Us

Related Software

Featured Citations

Illuminating the molecular basis of human daylight vision. Schmidt SL, Dostal J et al. Science. 2026 Jun 25;392(6805):eadz3624.

Vaccination generates broadly cross-neutralizing antibodies to the HIV Env apex. Guenaga J, Ádori M et al. Nature. 2026 Jun 18;654(8119):777–785.

Induction of broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies by a two-step mechanism informs vaccine design. Skelly AN, Gristick HB et al. Science. 2026 Jun 18;392(6804):eaec6396.

Cryo-EM reveals a right-handed double-helix dimer architecture of PCDH15. Liang X, Pathak R et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2026 Jun 16;123(24):e2607573123.

Structure of the mouse cytoplasmic lattice. Chi P, Wang X et al. Nature. 2026 Jun 10;654(8118):523–531.

More citations...

News

June 11, 2026

The ChimeraX 1.12 production release is available! See the change log for what's new.

May 7, 2026

The ChimeraX 1.12 release candidate is available – please try it and report any issues. See the change log for what's new.

December 25, 2025

computer generated image
The RBVI wishes you a safe and happy holiday season! See our 2025 card and the gallery of previous cards back to 1985.

Previous news...

Upcoming Events


UCSF ChimeraX

UCSF ChimeraX (or simply ChimeraX) is the next-generation molecular visualization program from the Resource for Biocomputing, Visualization, and Informatics (RBVI), following UCSF Chimera. ChimeraX can be downloaded free of charge for academic, government, nonprofit, and personal use. Commercial users, please see ChimeraX commercial licensing.

ChimeraX is developed with support from National Institutes of Health R01-GM129325.

Bluesky logo ChimeraX on Bluesky: @chimerax.ucsf.edu

Feature Highlight

AMPA receptor with tube helices

Curved Helix Cylinders

Protein α-helices can be shown as curved-cylinder “tubes“ with the cartoon style command. Helix tube mode is an alternative to the standard spiraling ribbons, and both modes are fully integrated with coil and β-strand cartoons. The structure at left is an AMPA-subtype glutamate receptor bound to the antiepileptic drug perampanel (PDB 5l1f). The receptor is tetrameric, and each chain is rainbow color-coded from blue at the N-terminus to red at the C-terminus. Four molecules of perampanel (pink) are bound near the bottom, between the transmembrane domain and the rest of the receptor. For image setup other than orientation, see the command file ampar.cxc.

See also: Presets menu

More features...

Example Image

transducin switch regions

G-Protein Switch Regions

The GDP- and GTP-bound conformations of the transducin α-subunit (1tag and 1tnd, respectively) differ primarily in three regions, termed switch 1, switch 2, and switch 3. The structures have been superimposed with matchmaker and shown as cartoons, with “empty” outlines where the structures are almost the same (for simplicity, only one conformation's outlines are shown). The GTP analog GTPγS is displayed as spheres color-coded by heteroatom. For 2D labels and image setup other than structure orientation, see the command file switch.cxc.

More images...



About RBVI | Projects | People | Publications | Resources | Visit Us

Copyright 2018 Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.