search site  |  contact us  HOME PRODUCTS DOWNLOADS SALES SUPPORT NEWS Happy Birthday, CrystalMaker! Celebrating 12 Years of Innovation 23 November 2006. CrystalMaker®, the award-winning program for visualizing crystal and molecular structures, celebrates its 12th birthday this month. In the following article we take the opportunity to look back at twelve exciting years of innovation. In the Beginning CrystalMaker began life in the classroom. Founder and managing director, Dr David Palmer - then an academic at the University of Cambridge - was preparing an undergraduate lecture course in mineralogy and crystallography. As he dusted off some ball-and-stick crystal models he remembered his own experiences as a student many years earlier, grappling with complex structures. Part of the problem was "seeing the wood for the trees". The solution, surely, was a dynamical model, which could be seamlessly transformed into simpler and easier-to-understand representations... The result was CrystalMaker: a program that could replicate the appearance of traditional "ball-and-stick" models and instantly switch to simpler, stylized versions - for example, using polyhedral units to represent complex groups of atoms and bonds. Representations of the Fluorite (CaF2) structure. Crucial to the early success of CrystalMaker was the ability to easily focus on individual units, whilst hiding the remainder of the structure. Students would first learn to understand the structures of the basic building units, and then focus on how these were joined together to build the more complex extended structure. This led to an understanding of the subtle differences between some structures, as well as an appreciation of the range of length scales: from the atom to the molecular unit, to the crystal lattice, and beyond. We now travel back to 1994 to pick up the CrystalMaker story... 1994 Sharing the Inspiration Whilst CrystalMaker is proving highly-effective as a teaching tool, it is also gaining rave reviews for its use in research. There are many suggestions for new features - but funding is needed to implement these. In the absence of public funding, the decision is taken to commercialize the software in order to guarantee the best long-term development and user support. November After a long development period, CrystalMaker 1.0 is released for Macintosh. The very-first licence was sold in mid-November to a graduate student working in Cambridge University's Materials Science department. CrystalMaker's very first "splash screen" 1995 Early Developments May Six months after its launch a new version of CrystalMaker is released. CrystalMaker 1.1 supports the then-new PowerPC chip, provides more polyhedral types, an "Atom Info" window and various other improvements. CrystalMaker 1.1.4 is released as a free update later in the year. Although only an "incremental" upgrade, this version provides a major new feature: QuickTime video recording - a first for a crystal structures program. Video productions is made even easier, thanks to a dedicated Video Recorder window, with full control over video frame rates and compression settings, as well as pause/resume functionality. CrystalMaker becomes the first-ever structures program with QuickTime video recording November A second product, CrystalDiffract 1.0, was launched as a free "helper application" for CrystalMaker, providing simulation of x-ray or neutron powder diffraction patterns. Simulating an x-ray film and diffractometer trace in CrystalDiffract 1.0 1996 A New Version July A year-and-a-half after its first launch, CrystalMaker 2.0 is ready. This features a new user interface and the ability to generate QuickTime VR (virtual reality) objects. Other changes include improvements in display and rendering, plus support for CIF, ICSD, CSSR and CCL file formats. Floating windows provide tools and information displays for CrystalMaker 2 December Version 2.1 follows as a free update at the end of the year, with major interface improvements including a colour toolbar, Atom Info window and the display of lattice planes. 1997 Continued Support During the course of this year a total of 9 free updates are provided for CrystalMaker 2. 1998 Works with iMac February Early in the new year, CrystalDiffract 2.0 is released as a free update. The new program sports a vastly-improved interface and lets users edit site occupancies. Other changes include an all-new "Apple Guide" online help system (sadly, way ahead of its time) and faster intensity calculations. April As Spring approaches it is time for another major release: CrystalMaker 3.0. The program sports a new "platinum" appearance, to match Mac OS 8, and features floating windows, tabbed Model and Rendering Options dialogs and faster plotting. More data formats are supported, a "symmetry assistant" provides help with spacegroup symmetry, and a new menu command allows direct simulation of diffraction patterns. The software is distributed with a printed user's guide and comes on three 1.4 MB floppy discs! Tabbed dialogs provide extensive control over model and rendering options CrystalMaker 3.1 CD-ROM Edition, launched later in the year, is designed to work with the revolutionary new iMac November As Jonathan Ive's new Apple iMac proves a big hit with the public, floppy discs suddenly seem dated. The answer is the CrystalMaker 3.1 CD-ROM Edition. The new program includes various improvements as well as an online help system. 1999 3D Stereo February Early in the new year CrystalDiffract 2.1 is released as a free update. Following the demise of "Apple Guide", the new program has HTML-based online help. Other changes include smoothed graphics (implemented at the program level - this is several years before system-level smoothing was available) and the saving of user preferences. August Later that year sees the launch of CrystalMaker 4.0, featuring display of vectors, custom atom colouring, anti-aliased edge drawing, stereo-pair plots, red/blue stereo display, selection and annotation tools. The software is given its first major outing at the IUCr convention in Glasgow, Scotland. Atom vectors (left) and custom atom colouring (right) feature in CrystalMaker 4 2000 Diffraction Tools for the New Millenium March The new millenium sees CrystalDiffract 3.0 released in "Pro" and "Limited Edition" versions. A major interface redesign provides interactive control over diffraction parameters: users can drag slider controls to change the wavelength, cell parameters, particle size, etc., and immediately see the effect on the diffraction pattern. "Pro" users can also compare their own observed data with simulated patterns. Splash screen for CrystalDiffract 3.0 April In the Spring, CrystalMaker 4.0 is reviewed online, by Macworld.com - gaining an excellent 4.5 "mice" and considerable praise: "CrystalMaker is easy to learn, and includes the most comprehensive and best-produced manual I've seen for a science product in years, but oddly for scientific software, its real attraction is aesthetic. It makes the best-looking crystal structures imaginable... and its floating 3D representations (viewed with red/blue glasses) are dazzling as well as instructive." CrystalMaker 4.0 reviewed by Macworld.com September Later that year comes CrystalMaker 4.1 (a free update), with web-page export, and JPEG graphics output. 2001 An Eddy Winner August Two years after the launch of its predecessor, CrystalMaker 5.0 is released. Key features include: multiple windows - each with multiple views and undo levels, a major interface redesign, the ability to work with more atoms and bonds, fractional occupancies and background pictures. CrystalMaker's new multi-window/multi-view interface CrystalMaker 5.0 wins an "Eddy" award from Macworld magazine December At the end of the year, CrystalMaker 5.0 wins an "Eddy" award in the 2001 Macworld Editor's Choice Awards in San Francisco - a finalist in the Best Science/Engineering Software category. 2002 All Change for Mac OS X February As Apple begins its transition to a new, Unix-based operating system, we embark on a major process of redevelopment. Our first Mac OS X product is launched early in the year: CrystalDiffract 4.0 for Mac OS X has been completely rebuilt to run natively in the new operating system, and exploits a number of new interface technologies. April In the Spring, CrystalMaker 5.1 is released as a free upgrade. New features include a revised interface, improved text file import and enhanced performance when running in Mac OS X's "Classic" environment. September At last CrystalMaker 6.0 for Mac OS X is ready - after a grueling year in which virtually the entire program has been rewritten. We were determined to take full advantage of the new operating system - and simply "porting" the existing code was not good enough. The new application runs natively on Mac OS X, as a Mach-O binary. The interface includes new "sheets" and sortable data browsers, as well as drag-and-drop Unicode text editing. Taking advantage of the new OS's memory handling, the new program allows very-high resolution graphics export and printing. CrystalMaker running on an early version of Mac OS X Both CrystalMaker and CrystalDiffract are completely rebuilt for Mac OS X 2003 Five Mice February Our hard work pays off: CrystalMaker 6.0 is reviewed by Charles Seiter in Macworld (USA and UK editions), drawing considerable praise for its "excellent use of OS features". Summarizing, the reviewer stated: "it's no exaggeration to say this program alone would justify buying a Mac to produce materials for chemistry or physics lessons. It handles all crystal-display tasks with grace, and it's a bargain." Hot on the heels of this review comes another free update: CrystalMaker 6.1 provides auto-recognition of text file formats, enabling seamless drag-and-drop loading of database files. Other changes include mouse wheel support for full 3D structure rotation, dynamical menus and new document icons. March CrystalDiffract 4.1, a free upgrade to existing users, is released in the Spring. It provides drag-and-drop mixture simulation, peak overlay options and a new Structures List for rapidly browsing through a range of structures. June CrystalMaker 6.2 is released as a free update in early Summer. The major new features relate to annotation: a new editor window gives easier control, smoothed graphics are used for all drawing and new interactive scalebars can be created. Textboxes, arrows and scalebars in CrystalMaker 6.2 CrystalMaker 6 gets a 5-cow rating by Tucows July CrystalMaker Software Ltd is formally established as a privately-owned company, registered in England and Wales. The company is dedicated to developing innovative scientific software for research and education. October Later in the year CrystalMaker 6.3 is released, again as a free update. The major features are tools for working with molecular crystals, with the ability to hide or repair "fragmented" molecular units. More significantly, a "Show Molecular Cell" command provides the optimum display of a molecular crystal, with all-intact molecules: ideal for small-molecule chemists! The program also includes major revisions to the menu structure, with new new keyboard shortcuts and dynamical menus. December CrystalMaker Software Ltd moves to new offices at Oxford University's Begbroke Science Park, a few miles north of the City of Oxford. 2004 An Award-Winning Company March CrystalMaker makes its debut at the American Chemical Society, with an exhibition booth at the 2004 Spring Exposition in Anaheim, California. Another 10 free updates to CrystalMaker 6.3 follow! September CrystalMaker Software Ltd wins the eTrading category of the 2004 South East England eCommerce Awards and are shortlisted for the national prize. The award citation highlights the company's impressive export achievement, with several thousand users spread across 40 countries and 6 continents. November CrystalMaker 6.3 is reviewed by the Journal of Chemical Education. Reviewer Prof Chris Cahill writes: "In my opinion, CrystalMaker is an excellent, highly intuitive program with extraordinary graphics and incredible functionality and versatility. It is a must have for those serious about crystal structure manipulation and presentation." 2005 A Year of Upgrades January Following an extended period as a free "public beta" program, a full commercial version of SingleCrystal 1.0 for Mac OS X is released. This provides reciprocal lattice visualization, stereographic projections and electron diffraction simulations - for any crystal. Users can manipulate a structure in CrystalMaker then choose a single menu command and see the resulting single-crystal diffraction pattern in SingleCrystal. Simulated electron diffraction pattern and stereographic projection for epidote SingleCrystal acts as a helper application for CrystalMaker, but is a powerful application in its own right At about the same time, CrystalDiffract 5.0 is released, providing multi-pattern simulation and display, with instant mixture generation, and the ability to compare multiple experimental datasets with their simulated counterparts. Multiple diffraction patterns displayed in the same window April After more than ten years on just the Mac platform, CrystalMaker 1.0 for Windows XP is released. The new program, like its Mac OS X counterpart, was painstakingly crafted to take full advantage of the operating system, and without any compromises on interface design or performance. CrystalMaker - now running on Windows XP CrystalMaker is designed, from scratch, to run natively under Windows XP and later July CrystalMaker 7.0 for Mac OS X is released in what is the biggest-ever program upgrade. As part of a collaborative research project with Prof Martin Dove (University of Cambridge), the program has been comprehensively re-engineered: old array limits have been swept away and the program can work with virtually unlimited numbers of atoms, bonds and polyhedra. Whilst the engineering improvements are impressive, most users are more impressed by the speed improvements and another key new feature: the ability to display thermal ellipsoids. Thermal ellipsoids can be plotted using photo-realistic and stylized representations A major free update to the Windows version 1.1 follows soon afterwards, yielding performance improvements and a refined user interface. October CrystalMaker 1.2 for Windows is released as a free update. This release includes key new features from the Mac 7.0 product, including thermal ellipsoids, custom-defined polyhedra and interactive bond editing. November CrystalMaker 1.3 for Windows is released as a free update, providing QuickTime video recording and automatic VR object generation for Windows users. 2006 Universal Performance January SingleCrystal 1.1 for Mac is released as a free update, providing a new online help system, automatic update checking, thermal ellipsoid support - and native performance for both PowerPC- and the new Intel-based Macs: SingleCrystal is now a Universal Binary application. CrystalDiffract 5.1 for Mac is released at the same time, also as a free update, and also as a Universal Binary application. Key new features include a data browser for custom sorting and exporting of diffraction data and user-defined reflexion limits to speed up working with massive structures. Our Mac products now run natively on the new Intel-based Macs, as well as older PowerPC machines February CrystalMaker 7.1 for Mac OS X is released as a free update: another Universal Binary application. Compared to the previous version (CrystalMaker 6.3), CrystalMaker 7.1 is around 10% faster on a PowerPC machine, and a staggering 250% faster on an Intel machine! CrystalMaker 7.1 is faster on both PowerPC (G5) and Intel systems! A key new feature is "depth profiling", which allows users to rapidly scan slices of material, using custom-defined depth profiles. The visual effect is impressive, with foreground atoms becoming translucent, and background atoms fading out of view, as the user drags a "depth" slider control. Profiling cavities in the zeolite "faujasite", using CrystalMaker 7's Depth Profiling feature March CrystalDiffract 1.0 for Windows is launched at the American Chemical Society's Spring Exposition in Atlanta, GA. Now our growing band of Windows users have access to the same x-ray and neutron powder diffraction tools as our Mac users. August During an unusually scorching British summer, SingleCrystal 1.2 for Mac emerges. This free update features powerful stereographic projection capabilities, including display of symmetry-related poles and traces. For the first time, users can compare simulated and observed diffraction patterns in the same window. Earlier in the Summer saw another office move: CrystalMaker Software Ltd moved into the brand new Centre for Innovation & Enterprise at the Oxford University Begbroke Science Park. This building houses a number of dynamic companies, including university spin-offs and startup ventures, as well as more established businesses such as our own. Symmetry relations are easily visualized in SingleCrystal November CrystalDiffract 1.1 for Windows is released later in the year, with an all-new online help system, support for multi-byte file systems and various interface improvements. December Major new versions of CrystalMaker for Mac and Windows are released as free updates. The new versions include a diverse range of new features including the ability to edit bonding without resetting custom views. CrystalMaker 1.4 for Windows includes major interface enhancements and benefits from extensive usability testing on Japanese, as well as Western, systems. Further Information: For a general introduction to our products, please see the CrystalMaker, CrystalDiffract and SingleCrystal product pages. Download free demonstration software for Mac or Windows, plus graphics and movies. For pricing and ordering information for new licences, please refer to the CrystalMaker Sales page. If you are a registered CrystalMaker user, you can download a free update from the updates page. To purchase an upgrade, or take advantage of our cross-platform upgrade scheme (e.g., Mac to Windows, or Windows to Mac), please visit the upgrades page. The CrystalMaker user's guide (7.9 MB PDF file) describes new features in more detail. © 2008 CrystalMaker Software Limited. All rights reserved worldwide.