--- title: 3D looks, styles and surfaces url: https://www.moldraw.com/docs/analyze/3d-viewer-styles-looks-and-molecular-surfaces/ section: Analyze and 3D updated: 2026-10-20 publisher: LabCanvas --- # 3D looks, styles and surfaces > In the 3D panel toolbar, click Display (the circle icon) to pick a Look and a Style. Click Surfaces (the layers icon) to add a VDW, MS, SAS or SES surface. Gloss and Ball & stick are the defaults. This page lists every display option in the 3D panel. For opening the panel, rotating and 3D Clean Up, see [3D viewer](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/analyze/how-to-view-molecules-in-3d/). ## Where to find it The 3D toolbar is a small island on the side of the 3D panel. It has these buttons: | Button | Opens | | --- | --- | | **Display** (circle) | Show hydrogens, Look and Style | | **Surfaces** (layers) | Surface type, opacity and colour | | **Measure** (ruler) | Distance, angle and torsion. See [measure in 3D](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/analyze/how-to-measure-bond-lengths-and-angles-in-3d/). | | **Labels and legend** (tag) | Colour legend and atom labels. See [3D export](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/analyze/how-to-export-3d-models-glb-obj-with-a-color-legend/). | | **More** (three dots) | Conformers, MMFF94 and Calculate structure | | **Export** (download) | GLB, PNG, JPG, SDF, XYZ, X3D, OBJ | On a phone, tap the **3D** pill in the panel. The same buttons open in a **3D controls** sheet. ## Change the look and style 1. Click **Display** in the 3D toolbar. 2. Under **Look**, click a sphere preview. 3. Under **Style**, pick how atoms and bonds are drawn. 4. Tick or untick **Show hydrogens**. MolDraw remembers your look and style in this browser. ### Looks | Look | What it looks like | | --- | --- | | **Gloss** (default) | Glossy, candy-like spheres with crisp highlights | | **Studio** | Clean studio light with gentle gloss and soft contact shadows | | **Soft** | Matte finish with deep, soft shadows | | **Toon** | Cel shading with clean ink outlines | | **Clay** | White architectural model with soft shadows | | **Print** | Flat journal style with fine outlines | | **Neon** | Dark stage with glowing rims | Exports and the conformer preview use the same look you pick here. ### Styles | Style | What it shows | | --- | --- | | **Ball & stick** (default) | Atoms as balls, bonds as sticks | | **Spacefill (CPK)** | Atoms at their van der Waals size | | **Stick** | Bonds as cylinders only | | **Line** | Thin wireframe bonds | | **Cross** | Small crosses at atom centres | ## Add a molecular surface 1. Click **Surfaces** in the 3D toolbar. 2. Under **Type**, pick a surface. 3. Drag **Opacity** to see the atoms through it. 4. Under **Color**, pick how the surface is coloured. 5. Pick **Off** to remove it. | Type | Meaning | | --- | --- | | **VDW** | van der Waals surface | | **MS** | Molecular surface | | **SAS** | Solvent-accessible surface | | **SES** | Solvent-excluded surface | | Color | What it does | Default | | --- | --- | --- | | **Solid color** | One colour you pick for the whole surface | | | **Color by atom** | Element colours on the surface | Yes | | **MEP (charges)** | Red is electron-rich, blue is electron-poor | | | **Volumetric** | Colours from a Gaussian cube file you load with **Load .cube** | | Opacity starts at 75% and goes from 10% to 100%. > **Note:** **MEP (charges)** is an estimate from atomic partial charges. It is good for polarity and hydrogen bond sites, not for exact energies. The [MEP plugin](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/plugins/mep-plugin-molecular-electrostatic-potential-surface/) turns it on in one click and pins the legend. For the theory, read [bond polarity and dipole moments](https://www.moldraw.com/blog/bond-polarity-dipole-moment-guide.html). ## Conformers and energy Open **More** for the calculation tools. - **Conformers** opens the **Conformer gallery**. Pick **Max conformers** (6, 12, 18 or 24; 12 by default), click **Regenerate**, pick a pose and click **Apply to 3D viewer**. It works up to 80 heavy atoms. Larger molecules show **Conformers (N/A)**. - **MMFF94** minimizes the current 3D pose with the MMFF94 force field. The energy shows at the bottom of the panel in kcal/mol. - **Calculate structure** rebuilds the 3D model from your drawing. Use it when the model looks flat or stops building. ## Common problems | Symptom | Fix | | --- | --- | | *3D view unavailable* message | Turn on graphics acceleration in your browser settings, restart the browser and click **Retry 3D**. Close other 3D tabs. | | The surface takes a moment | Surfaces are computed in the background. Large molecules take longer. | | Hydrogens vanish from the surface | **Show hydrogens** also controls the surface. Tick it again. | | Conformers stay greyed out | The molecule has more than 80 heavy atoms. Use **Calculate structure**. | ## Questions and answers **How do I change the 3D style to spacefill in MolDraw?** Click Display in the 3D toolbar and pick Spacefill (CPK) under Style. **What is the default 3D look in MolDraw?** Gloss. You can switch to Studio, Soft, Toon, Clay, Print or Neon under Display, Look. **What is the difference between SAS and SES surfaces?** SAS is traced by the centre of a solvent probe rolling over the atoms. SES is the surface the probe cannot enter, so it sits closer to the atoms. **How do I show an electrostatic potential surface?** Click Surfaces, pick a surface type and choose MEP (charges) under Color. Red is electron-rich and blue is electron-poor. **Why is the conformer gallery not available?** It works for molecules up to 80 heavy atoms. For larger molecules, use Calculate structure in the More menu. ## Practice it - Interactive lesson: [How to view a molecule in 3D](https://www.moldraw.com/learn/how-to-view-a-molecule-in-3d/) ## Related pages - [3D viewer](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/analyze/how-to-view-molecules-in-3d/) - [Measure in 3D](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/analyze/how-to-measure-bond-lengths-and-angles-in-3d/) - [Export 3D models](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/analyze/how-to-export-3d-models-glb-obj-with-a-color-legend/) - [Electrostatic Potential (MEP) plugin](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/plugins/mep-plugin-molecular-electrostatic-potential-surface/)