Atom Builder for Blender

A Blender add-on for scientific molecular 3D modeling using the iconic teaching model atomic representation style. Build publication-ready molecular structures with automatic bond detection via the Atomic Simulation Environment (ASE), customizable atom geometries, and advanced rendering options.

Features

• real-style atoms: Import or build molecules with the classic colored-sphere-and-stick representation used in scientific publications.
• Automatic bond detection: Uses ASE to infer bonds from atomic coordinates (supports PDB, CIF formats).
• Flexible atom collections: Reference external Blender .blend libraries with sp³, sp², sp, bent, and other hybridization geometries.
• Bond customization: Control bond radius, gap distance, and hydrogen handling.
• Publication-ready: Generate high-quality renders suitable for academic papers, theses, and presentations.
• Batch processing: Import and process multiple structures in a single workflow.

Use Cases

• Academic research and scientific visualization
• Materials science and computational chemistry
• Educational content and molecular modeling
• 3D printing of molecular structures
• Publication figures for chemistry and materials papers

Requirements

• Blender 5.0+ (or 4.2+, depending on your actual minimum)
• Python 3.11+ (bundled with Blender)
• Dependencies (installed via pip):
  • ase (Atomic Simulation Environment) — for bond detection and structure parsing
  • numpy — required by ASE
  • scipy (optional) — for advanced bond assignment algorithms

see also https://github.com/giorgioluciano/molmol/ and https://www.youtube.com/@jojo75cg for help