Representation types#

Representation types control how atoms and polymers are drawn (cartoon, ball-and-stick, surface, etc.).

Use this page to pick a representation type name you can pass to:

  • view.whole.set_representation(representation=...)

  • region.set_representation(representation=...)

Supported types (normalized)

  • backbone

  • ball-and-stick

  • carbohydrate

  • cartoon

  • ellipsoid

  • gaussian-surface

  • gaussian-volume

  • label

  • line

  • molecular-surface

  • orientation

  • plane

  • point

  • putty

  • spacefill

Common aliases

  • sticks, ballstick, ball_and_stick → ball-and-stick

  • licorice, lines, wire, wireframe → line

  • ribbon → backbone

  • surface → molecular-surface

  • vdw → spacefill

Tips

  • Start with a preset if you are unsure (see Presets).

  • Use a region when you want different styles for different selections.