Technical Specifications
Program features and operating requirements.
Mac
Operating Systems
- macOS 15 "Sequoia"
- macOS 14 "Sonoma"
- macOS 13 "Ventura"
- macOS 12 "Monterey"
- macOS 11 "Big Sur"
- macOS 10.15 "Catalina"
- macOS 10.14 "Mojave"
Hardware
- Apple Silicon or Intel Mac running macOS 10.14 or later
- 1 GB free disc space
- 8 GB RAM
Notes
Application is compiled as a Universal Binary which runs natively on Apple Silicon (M-series processors) as well as older, Intel-based Macs.
As a bundled application all program resources, documentation and example files are saved inside a single application icon, making for easy drag-and-drop installation.
Occasional internet access may be required for licence verification and/or update checking purposes.
Windows
Operating Systems
- Windows 11 (recommended)
- Windows 10
- Windows 8
- Windows 7
.NET Framework 4.8 or later required
Hardware
- 64-bit PC running Windows 7 or later.
- 1 GB free disc space.
- 4 GB RAM.
Notes
Application is distributed as a compressed Microsoft-Installer package, ready for auto-run.
Occasional internet access may be required for licence verification and/or update checking purposes.
Genuine 100% Native Software. We believe in doing the best-possible job, so we don't take shortcuts - and we definitely don't use "lowest-common-denominator" cross-platform porting technologies such as Qt, wxWidgets or Java. Instead, we do things properly, starting with the official developer tools from Apple and Microsoft, and crafting real native masterpieces for each platform: giving you the best user experience, with maximum performance and full system synergy; an elegant, rich and seamless user experience to cherish.
Designed for Real Scientists and Engineers! Our software is designed to run "out of the box" on Mac or Windows computers. Installation is straightforward and can be done by the end-user on their machine - without requiring an IT department. (Note to IT Admins: this is high-performance software, designed for direct installation on a Mac or Windows PC; we do not recommend or support the use of third-party virtualization platforms.)
File Input
Live diffraction - or just drag-n-drop!
- CMDX (CrystalMaker X document)
- CMDF (CrystalMaker 7-9 document)
- CMTX (CrystalMaker text format)
- CIF
- Direct Simulation Link via CrystalMaker's Transform > Powder Diffraction submenu, including "Live Powder Diffraction" mode.
- Images in JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, PDF (etc.) formats (for observed patterns)
- DM3, DM4 (observed patterns)
- SCDX (SingleCrystal 4-5 document)
- SCDF (SingleCrystal 3 document)
Structures Library
Crystals to Go
- Integrated library of ~1,000 curated crystal structures
- 500 mineral structures are included here.
- Indexed with metadata, annotations.
- Searchable, with scope bar.
Multi-Phase Simulation
X-rays, Neutrons or Electrons
- Reciprocal lattice sections (including upper layers)
- Weighted reciprocal lattice sections
- Zero-layer & upper-layer Precession patterns
- Laue front-plate, back-plate & cylinder patterns
- Transmission electron microscope (TEM) diffraction patterns with the option of Kikuchi Lines and Powder Rings
- 3D Weighted reciprocal lattice
- 3D Brillouin Zone
- 3D Crystal Shape
Instrument
Your Virtual TEM
- Wavelength (range for Laue patterns) and/or microscope voltage (TEM)
- Polarized radiation correction (Laue patterns)
- Crystal thickness (TEM)
- Beam convergence angle (TEM)
- Reflexion spot size
- Intensity saturation
- Volume fraction
- Kikuchi Line intensity (TEM)
- Minimum d-spacing for reflexion generation
- Maximum number of reflexions
- Gamma correction (intensity-greyscale mapping function)
- Automatic "Cleanup" (background subtraction and smoothing for observed patterns)
Display Options
Custom Visualization
- High-DPI "Retina" graphics.
- Colour-coded display of intensity, wavelength or phase angle, with opacity control.
- Show/hide systematic absences: lattice, spacegroup, other.
- Show/hide reflexion labels (hkl values), with minimum-intensity threshold.
- Reflexion, label, selection & background colours.
- Colourize observed diffraction image using fixed colour + opacity, or by applying a colour gradient.
- Control observed intensity range using minimum and maximum "threshold" limits, with the option of showing outliers as transparent or saturated regions.
Manipulation
Multi-Touch and More
- Rotation (real-time multi-touch, mouse, trackpad, Touch Bar, keyboard controls; view direction dialog)
- Scaling (real-time multi-touch, mouse, trackpad, Touch Bar, toolbar and Inspector options)
- Movement (xy offsets)
- Lattice layer control (e.g., reciprocal lattice sections)
Measurement
Interactive Screen Tools
- Miller indices, intensity, structure factor - for a clicked reflexion.
- Distances between two clicked reflexions.
- Angles between three clicked reflexions.
- Arbitrary distances, using the Ruler overlay.
- Arbitrary angles, using the Protractor overlay.
- Grid dimensions and angles, using the Grid overlay.
- Auto-indexing, for a loaded diffraction image and its simulation - via the Grid overlay.
- Profile tool for measuring cross-sections of diffraction data, with real-time updates and profile-width adjustment.
- Peak Markers to measure positions and intensities of observed reflexions.
Fourier Transforms
Optical Diffraction on Your Computer
- Generate a Fourier Transform of any displayed image or diffraction simulation.
- Interactive Fast Fourier Transform mode.
- Scale bar and ruler.
- Represent intensity as colour or gradient.
- Custom scale.
Brillouin Zones
Reciprocal Periodicity
- Visualize first Brillouin Zone for any crystal.
- Adjust colouring and opacity.
- Display adjacent reciprocal lattice points, including absences.
- Measure vertices, edges and face centres.
- Shift-click to define a trajectory in reciprocal space.
Crystal Shapes
Build Your Gems
- Dedicated Faces Inspector.
- Add symmetry-related faces.
- Adjust colouring and opacity.
- Real-time distance control (interactive "Wulff Construction").
- Measure face properties.
- Measure inter-facial angles.
- Measure vertex distances and angles.
- Combine multiple shapes for twinning/chiral relations.
Stereographic Projection
Symmetry Relationships in 2D
- Add arbitrary poles as vectors or plane normals in any colour.
- Show traces as great circles or small circles (user-specified radius).
- Add all symmetry-related directions, and/or all directions out to a maximum hkl index.
- Group poles by symmetry or N-value.
- Miller-Bravais (four-index) notation is available, as an option, for trigonal and hexagonal crystals.
- Hover the mouse over a pole to display its bearing and elevation.
- Double-click a pole to set this as your view direction.
- Measure angles between any pair of selected poles.
- Click-and-drag the stereogram to smoothly change the crystal orientation.
- Optional rotatable stereonet.
- Customize visibility and labelling of South Hemisphere projections.
- Export stereograms as pixel or vector images.
Data Output
Simulations and Observed
- Structure Factors.
- Relative intensities.
- Screen intensities.
- Raw intensities.
- Zone Axes file (for manual TEM indexing).
- Profile output (Ruler Profile).
Graphics Output
Patterns & Projections
- High-resolution pixel graphics: JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, PSD (Mac), PICT (Mac), etc.
- Vector graphics: PDF (Mac) or WMF (Windows)
Support
Welcome to the Family!
- Deluxe 236-page user's guide (PDF).
- Self-Guided Tutorials (PDF).
- "What's New?" guide (PDF)
- Video tutorials (online)
- First-class technical support for registered users.