#Inforequest
8 messages in this thread
I just read the previous edition of the Compuserve magazine and I was
intrigued by the hyperchem article. I don't use autodesk software
yet and I was curious to know which product of theirs is necessary to
use in order to run Hyperchem.
ThankYou
AriS.
P.S. any information regarding the product would be very helpful.
Hallo Ari,
can you tell me from witch firm is the hyperchem article,
what will you do with this article???
Ralph
Ari,
HyperChem is a standalone product for molecular modeling. It does not
require any other software product from Autodesk (or anyone else, for that
matter).
However, unless you are a professional chemist, HyperChem is probably
nothing you would want to play with; it is not a "cute" program just to
mess with. But if you are a chemist, I recommend it highly (I am not with
Autodesk), as it compares quite favorably to all other PC-based molecular
modeling software.
It boasts 4 different force field calculations (most just have one, usually
MM2), a superior user interface, and renderings that are quite nice.
What are you looking for in this type of product?
Rich
Richard,
Thank you for responding, I am not a chemist, I am a Biologist
however. My interest is in the modelling of experimental drugs for
neurotransmitter receptor agonists and antagonists. I have ordered
the demo disk and the accompanying literature. From your experience
do you think the program will be useful for the purposes I've mentioned
above.
Thanks.
Ari
Ari,
Sounds like an excellent match for your needs. It depends on the size of
the molecule fragments you'll be modeling, but HyperChem seems to be fairly
capable of handling reasonably large molecules (though "large" is obviously
different for a biologist than a chemist <g>).
HyperChem handles things like proteins decently, and it can read Brookhaven
PDB files as well, so they see biochemistry as an important field.
Rich
One slight correction: HyperChem requires Microsoft Windows 3.x, a 386DX or
486 SX PC with a math coprocessor or a 486 DX with 6 megs of RAM and at
least 8 megs of harddisk.
Ari, HyperChem should be able to give you some insight into your
neurotransmitter drug issues providing that you have sufficient knowlege of
the chemistry involved. Best of luck and good modeling.
But at 3,000 a pop who can possibly afford it, unless you're with academia
in which case you get a gigant (discrimmination !) discount.
>> But at 3,000 a pop who can possibly afford it
Ed,
It's actually $3,500 — and well worth it. The people who really *need* it
can afford it (how do you do research chemistry without a lot of money to
fund a lab in the first place?), and HyperChem is a better value than other
modeling software. Other PC modelers simply are not nearly as good, and
superior software exists only for decent UNIX workstations which are quite
expensive, and the software is quite expensive as well.
$3,500 is less than two man-weeks of time for a PhD researcher
at a pharmaceutical company. HyperChem should save that if it is being
used by someone who needs it.
Of course, the far larger market is people who don't really need it but
want to have it anyway. For them, it probably isn't worth $3,500 <g>.
Rich