XRayView: a teaching aid for X-ray crystallography.

A software package, XRayView, has been developed that uses interactive computer graphics to introduce basic concepts of x-ray diffraction by crystals, including the reciprocal lattice, the Ewald sphere construction, Laue cones, the wavelength dependence of the reciprocal lattice, primitive and centered lattices and systematic extinctions, rotation photography. Laue photography, space group determination and Laue group symmetry, and the alignment of crystals by examination of reciprocal space. XRayView is designed with "user-friendliness" in mind, using pull-down menus to control the program. Many of the experiences of using real x-ray diffraction equipment to examine crystalline diffraction can be simulated. Exercises are available on-line to guide the users through many typical x-ray diffraction experiments.