Quick and easy interactive molecular dynamics using Java3D

A new branch of interactive molecular dynamics has emerged. Unlike typical molecular dynamics simulations, it lets the user see the studied system and its behavior while interacting with it. This requires a graphical output device such as a Unix workstation. Desktop computers have reached a level of graphical power that allows rendering virtual universes in real time. This power enables the use of common desktop PCs for interactive molecular dynamics. High-end visualizations are usually based on native 3D graphics libraries. Using these libraries to create an interactive simulation application requires substantial effort for upgrading existing simulation code; many developers shrink from this. I present Java Interactive Molecular Dynamics, interactive molecular dynamics software for common desktop computers and workstations. JIMD is not a stand-alone interactive molecular dynamics application; it is a software package that can be quickly and easily adapted to existing molecular dynamics simulation software. For rendering the molecular system, JIMD uses Java3D, the application programming interface (API) for writing 3D graphics applications in Java.