New Color Scheme Dialog Box

In this dialog box you can set up a new color scheme based on an atom-level property, represented by the structure in the Workspace.

To open this dialog box, click New in the Color Schemes settings section of the Preferences Panel.

Using the New Color Scheme Dialog Box

New color schemes can be created from atom properties, i.e. properties that have a separate value for each atom. Before you set up a new scheme, you should include in the Workspace a structure that has the desired atom property. The range of values of the property in that structure should be representative of the range in any structure that you might want to color with the new scheme.

To set up the scheme:

  1. Choose a property from the Atom property list.

  2. Click Update to obtain the property range, and fill in the Min and Max text boxes with the range values.

  3. Edit the Min and Max text boxes to set the minimum and maximum values that are actually used for the color scheme.

  4. Enter the number of colors that you want to use. The property range is partitioned equally.

When you click OK, the Edit Color Scheme Dialog Box opens, so you can choose the color ramp and make any other changes to the scheme.

New Color Scheme Dialog Box Features

Name text box

Name of the new color scheme. This name is shown on the list on the Color Atoms button in the Style toolbox and on the Selection shortcut menu.

Atom Properties list

List of atom-level properties. You can select one property from this list as a basis for the color scheme.

Update button

Obtain the property range from the atoms in the Workspace, and update the Property range indicator and the Min and Max text boxes.

Property range

This text displays the range of the property value in the Workspace, after you click Update.

Min and Max text boxes

Minimum and maximum values of the property that are used to define the color scheme. These text boxes are populated initially from the Workspace. You can edit the values to define the range that is actually used.

Number of colors text box

Specify the number of colors to use in the scheme. The property range between the minimum and maximum values is partitioned equally, and a color assigned to property values in each partition.