---
tags:
  - Non-commercial
catalog:
  name: VMD
  description: Molecular visualization program
  license_type: Non-commercial
  disciplines:
    - Chemistry
    - Biosciences
  available_on:
    - web_interfaces:
        - Puhti
        - Mahti
    - Puhti
    - Mahti
---

# VMD

VMD (Visual Molecular Dynamics) is a molecular visualization program for
displaying, animating, and analyzing large (bio)molecular systems using 3D
graphics and built-in scripting.

## Available

- Puhti: 1.9.3
- Mahti: 1.9.3

## License

- The use of the software is restricted to non-commercial research, see
  [detailed license description](https://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/current/LICENSE.html).

## Usage

Initialize with:

```bash
module load vmd/1.9.3 
```

Note, that you need remote graphics to work with VMD. Due to the heavy graphics
required by VMD, we recommend using it through
[the HPC web interface remote desktops](../computing/webinterface/desktop.md).
**Please don't run VMD on the login nodes.**

!!! info "Running VMD with GPU-accelerated graphics on Puhti"
    For much better performance, you can now also run VMD with
    [GPU acceleration](../computing/webinterface/accelerated-visualization.md)
    in the Puhti web interface. In this case, select
    _Accelerated Visualization_ instead of the plain _Desktop_ app.

## References

The authors request that all published work which utilizes VMD include the
primary VMD citation at a minimum:

> Humphrey, W., Dalke, A. and Schulten, K., "VMD - Visual Molecular Dynamics",
  J. Molec. Graphics, 1996, vol. 14, pp. 33-38. 

Consult
["How to cite VMD"](https://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/allversions/cite.html)
for further details.

## More information

- [VMD home page](http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/)
- [VMD Tutorials](http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/current/docs.html#tutorials)
- [VMD Manuals](http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/current/docs.html)  
