Below is a comparison of the solid surfaces made by several graphics programs here in the CSB core lab. The example scripts will give you an idea of how to make your own similar figure.

These programs will also make dot surfaces and some of them will make mesh surfaces. Look at the individual documentation linked to the previous page for these other types of surfaces.

Click on the image for a larger view.

	Grasp can project atom attributes (such as electrostatic charge) onto the surface. The script for this image is here. Grasp allows one to rotate the surface in real time. Anti-aliasing is good.
	Grasp can also project surface attributes (such as distance from other atoms) onto the surface. This allows one to identify contact surfaces. The script for this image is here.
	Midas can only display van der Waals surface as solid surfaces. But Midas provides great ability to combine different types of displays. The script for this image is here. No anti-aliasing is available. No real-time rotation of surface.
	MSDraw (part of MSP) allows one to clip the surface with a smooth plane. The script for this image is here. No anti-aliasing is available. No graphical user interface is available.
	VMD allows atom attributes in the PDB file such as B factor to be projected on the surface. The script for this image is here. Anti-aliasing is not yet working. Very good GUI with real time rotation of all components.
	This image was made using MSP and Ribbons. Atom attributes are projected onto the surface. Ribbons allows one to rotate the image in real time. Anti-aliasing is good. The script for this image is here.