search site  |  contact us  HOME PRODUCTS DOWNLOADS SALES SUPPORT NEWS CrystalDiffract 4.0 for Mac OS X Building on the strengths of the world's best OS CrystalDiffract 4 is compiled in the native executable format for Mac OS X ("Mach-O"), which gives the program access to a rich diversity of high-level system utilities. 23 February 2002. CrystalMaker Software demonstrates its commitment to Mac OS X by launching a new, Mac OS X-only version of its acclaimed CrystalDiffract program. Two years after the launch of its previous incarnation, the new, CrystalDiffract 4.0 for Mac OS X includes powerful new features, improved usability and is fully-optimized to run native in Mac OS X. This provides protected memory, pre-emptive multi-tasking, better inter-application cooperativity and, of course, the "Aqua" interface look-and-feel. Not Just Another OS X 'Port' CrystalDiffract 4 for OS X has been developed, from the ground up, to take full advantage of new features available with Mac OS X, version 10.1.2, and later. We started by redesigning the program's interface: windows were given a cleaner, centred appearance, with smoothed text and clearer display. Most dialog boxes were replaced by "sheets", which slide into view - inside the relevant window - only when needed, and without disrupting your work in other windows. The application and all its supporting files, including comprehensive online help, are packaged neatly into a single entity, represented by the application icon. A dialog "sheet" slides into view when you need to print a document. The biggest changes are the least visible, however. We completely re-engineered the program's event and control-handling mechanism - abandoning complex, legacy code (which many other programs are still forced to use) in favour of brand new, ultra-slick Mac OS X-only features, providing better responsiveness, updates, and interapplication cooperation. CrystalDiffract Pro lets you "print" your diffraction patterns directly to Adobe PDF files. Sharper Graphics CrystalDiffract 4 uses Quartz 2D graphics to draw superbly-detailed graphs at any resolution, onscreen or the printed page. New options provide detailed control over line widths and marker sizes. Text rendering is now smooth and clear, even at small point sizes onscreen. And, being a native Mac OS X application, CrystalDiffract now gives you the option of printing your graphics directly to a PDF file! CrystalDiffract is configured to handle Unicode text: the new standard for multi-lingual text display. Although the program is currently available only in an English language version, we have left-open the possibility of multi-lingual versions, including languages with non-Roman script systems. Finally, a new online help system has been developed, which is fully-searchable using the system-provided Help Viewer program. CrystalDiffract Help can be accessed at various points within the program (e.g., from the Help menu, or from help buttons in some dialogs sheets), or outside the program, in the Help Viewer's main window. CrystalDiffract online help is now full-searchable and displayed in the standard, Mac OS X Help Viewer application. A CrystalDiffract 4 diffraction "session", showing calculated and observed data, with the residual function. Experimental parameters are being edited in real time, using the Parameters list, on the left-hand side of the window. The new CrystalDiffract 4 session files can save all details of your diffraction "experiment" - a real productivity booster! Save Your Work! After the myriad of operating system improvements, perhaps the most important new feature in CrystalDiffract 4 is the ability to save an existing window's diffraction "session". Imagine you have been using CrystalDiffract to interpret an experimental diffraction pattern. You've displayed the observed data, and appended a simulated diffraction pattern. You then adjusted various experimental parameters to get the best fit, and noted that the experimental pattern included some additional peaks, possibly related to other phases. You then simulated a mixture of components and adjusted the relative phase proportions to best match the observed intensities. Maybe something like the experiment shown above. Now, all of this work can now be saved in a single "session" file, that includes your plot settings, references (aliases) to all of the source files, plus custom mixture components, their proportions, and any custom-defined site occupancies and cell parameters - as well as window sizes and positions. Using session files will give your work a huge productivity boost, allowing you to resume work exactly where you left it in the previous session. Now it is even easier to edit diffraction settings on-the-fly. Further Enhancements CrystalDiffract 4 now allows you to specify which phases in a simulated mixture should be labelled - and even what colours those labels should have. You can choose to display phase names, peak positions, d-spacings, Miller indices - or any combination of these - or you can opt to display "blank" labels, with peak positions indicated by small arrows. This custom control over peak labelling for mixtures now makes it possible to highlight specific phases in an otherwise complex, multi-component diffraction pattern. There is now much greater control over line widths for both on-screen and printed graphics. Printed output now more accurately reflects what you see on the screen - this is particularly important given the increasingly-high resolution of modern laser printers. A wide choice of data markers is also now available, for plotted observed data - with control over marker size, plus an "auto" option to optimize datapoint separation. A wide choice of data markers is now available, for plotted observed data - with control over marker size, plus an "auto" option to optimize datapoint separation Subtle, but welcome: traditional display of Miller Indices, with overbar characters for negative indices Following popular demand, the display of Miller Indices has been improved, with the correct "overbar" symbols used for negative indices. In "film" mode, the display of residual (observed minus calculated) intensities is now colour coded, with red and blue areas representing positive and negative values, respectively. As well as providing an Aqua interface, changes have been made to improve the interface's usability. This includes improved toolbar and status bar display; a new Edit Crystal sheet (dialog) with in-list editing of site occupancies, plus context-sensitive menu updates. The parameter list has been changed to make it easier to edit individual values,with a new, calibrated slider control and direct (text) data input for all parameter entries. Finally, all site occupants can be controlled via the Parameter list. Classic Support Although CrystalDiffract 4 is a Mac OS X-only program, we still provide support for the "Classic" operating systems (System 7.1 - 9.x) through our CrystalDiffract version 3.2 for Mac OS Classic. This version runs in either a free, "Limited Edition" mode, or a "Professional Edition" mode, and accepts both Pro 3 and Pro 4 licence numbers. Product information Download CrystalDiffract Order or Upgrade CrystalDiffract © 2008 CrystalMaker Software Limited. All rights reserved worldwide.