---
title: Themes (Ball-and-Stick) plugin
url: https://www.moldraw.com/docs/plugins/themes-plugin-ball-and-stick-2d-style/
section: Plugins
updated: 2026-10-11
publisher: LabCanvas
---

# Themes (Ball-and-Stick) plugin

> Click Color & style in the toolbar and set Look to Ball and stick. Themes is installed by default.

![MolDraw Color and style panel with Look set to Ball and stick, rendering chloramphenicol as coloured spheres and sticks](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/img/plugin-themes-annotated-screenshot.webp)
*Chloramphenicol in the Ball and stick theme. Cl is green, O red, N blue and C grey.*

1. Color & style button in the toolbar.
2. Look menu: choose Default or Ball and stick.

## What it does



Themes change only how structures are drawn, not the chemistry. You can apply the look to the selection or, with *Apply to all*, to every design. Label and ring-fill colours, opacity and atom/bond overrides in the same panel still work, and exports (PNG/SVG) keep the theme.



## Who it is for

Teachers and students making visually clear figures, and anyone who wants a 3D-style image without opening the 3D viewer.

## How to use it

1. Draw or load a structure.
2. Click **Color & style** (callout 1).
3. Set **Look** to **Ball and stick** (callout 2).
4. Toggle *Apply to all* to restyle all open designs.
5. Export with Download , PNG or SVG.

## Tips

- For a true rotatable 3D model use the [3D molecular model viewer](https://www.moldraw.com/tools/free-chem-tools/3d-molecular-model-viewer.html).
- Explore ready-made 3D pages in the [molecule library](https://www.moldraw.com/molecules/).
- Switch back to Default for journal-style skeletal structures.

## Questions and answers

**Is the ball-and-stick theme 3D?**
No, it is a 2D drawing style with shaded spheres. Use the 3D viewer for rotatable models.

**Does it need an account?**
No. Themes is installed by default.

**Which colours are used?**
Standard CPK colours: C grey, H white, O red, N blue, S yellow, Cl green, Br dark red.