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UCSF ChimeraX

A software package for macromolecular visualization and analysis.


UCSF ChimeraX requires an environment module

In order to use UCSF ChimeraX, you must first load the appropriate environment module:

module load chimerax

This application is available in Open OnDemand.

Running ChimeraX on RCC#

Because ChimeraX is a graphical application, it should be run using the RCC Desktop via Open OnDemand (OOD). Running ChimeraX directly on login nodes without a graphical session is not supported.

Launch an RCC Desktop Session#

  1. Log into Open OnDemand
  2. In the top navigation bar, select "Interactive Apps" and then from the drop down, "RCC Desktop".
  3. Select the Slurm Account/partition that you want to use for your job. If you leave this blank, the app will run in our genacc_q account.
  4. Fill out the rest of the job submission form.
    • ChimeraX will perform best if run on a GPU node. Though it has a CPU version, the GPU version will be faster.
  5. Click "Launch" to queue your job.
  6. When your interactive job has started, click Launch.
  7. A new tab will open, and the RCC Desktop will launch shortly after.

Once the session starts, a Linux desktop environment will open in your browser.

Start ChimeraX#

Open a terminal within the OOD Desktop and run:

$ chimerax

The ChimeraX GUI will launch in a new window.