Protein Structure Viewer
An interactive 3D protein structure viewer powered by 3Dmol.js. Load any RCSB PDB ID or paste raw PDB/mmCIF data to explore cartoon, stick, sphere, and surface representations directly in your browser without plugins.
What this tool does
Enter a 4-character PDB ID to fetch a structure directly from RCSB PDB, or paste raw PDB file content to visualize it instantly. Switch between cartoon, stick, sphere, line and surface rendering styles, color by spectrum, chain, secondary structure or element, and rotate or spin the structure in real time. All rendering happens locally in your browser using 3Dmol.js — no structure data is uploaded to or processed by a server.
Protein Structure Viewer
Enter a 4-character PDB ID to fetch a structure from RCSB PDB, or paste raw PDB file content directly. Rotate, zoom and switch rendering styles — all in your browser.
Structure viewer
Structures are fetched directly from RCSB PDB (files.rcsb.org) in your browser, or rendered from the PDB text you paste — nothing is uploaded to or processed by this site's server. 3D rendering powered by 3Dmol.js (open source, Nguyen et al., Bioinformatics 2015).
FAQ
-
What is a PDB ID?
A PDB ID is a unique 4-character code (e.g. 1CRN, 6LU7) assigned to each structure deposited in the RCSB Protein Data Bank, the main public repository of experimentally determined 3D structures of proteins, nucleic acids and complex assemblies. -
Where does the structure data come from?
When you enter a PDB ID, the tool fetches the corresponding structure file directly from RCSB PDB (files.rcsb.org) in your browser. You can also paste your own raw PDB file content to visualize structures not available in the public database. -
What's the difference between cartoon, stick, sphere and surface styles?
Cartoon simplifies the backbone into ribbons and arrows to highlight secondary structure (helices, sheets). Stick and line show individual atomic bonds. Sphere renders atoms as space-filling spheres (van der Waals radii). Surface displays the molecular surface, useful for visualizing binding pockets and overall shape. -
Can I visualize protein-ligand complexes or multi-chain assemblies?
Yes. Any PDB file containing multiple chains, bound ligands or cofactors will render correctly — use the "by chain" color scheme to distinguish separate chains or subunits within the structure. -
Is my pasted PDB data stored or sent anywhere?
No. Structure parsing and 3D rendering happen entirely client-side using 3Dmol.js. Pasted PDB content is never transmitted to or stored on a server; PDB IDs are only used to fetch the public structure file from RCSB.