User:Ben Mills/MakingMolecules

I've had a few messages on my talk page asking how to make 3D images of molecules like the ones I upload.

Here's how:
 * Download Accelrys DS Visualizer Pro 1.6 for Windows or Linux
 * Install the program
 * You can create structures in three ways.
 * Either download and open an existing 3D file in a format such as .mol or .pdb.
 * Or draw a structure in ChemDraw (or equivalent), then copy and paste it to DS Visualizer, which will make it 3D for you.
 * Or, finally, in DS Visualizer, go View > Toolbars > Sketching and some pencil-like icons will appear. Use these to make add atoms, chains and rings of carbon atoms.  Use the periodic table button, or right-click, to get a list of elements to which you can change any of these carbons.


 * Orient the molecule in the way you'd like it to appear in your final image
 * Choose a style in which to render your molecule: CPK (van der Waals radii), ball and stick, stick, polyhedra or wire
 * Check what you see in front of you is how you want the completed image to look
 * Select File > Save As and choose a filename
 * Set the file type as Image Files (*.png, *.jpg, *.jpeg, *.bmp)
 * Select an appropriately large image size - I use 1100px height
 * Save the image
 * Edit the image in, for example, Photoshop
 * Resize the image to something sensible for Wikipedia, like 1000px width
 * this is better than saving the image to 1000px width from DS Visualizer because it makes for a smoother, antialiased image
 * Add a border of 50px to top, bottom, left and right (i.e. 100px extra height and 100px extra width)
 * Save as a high-quality PNG-24 and upload to the Commons

If this is insufficient information to get you going, just let me know and I'll do my best to help.

Have fun making molecules!

Ben