Run DFT-accuracy atomistic simulations entirely in your browser. No installation. No command line. No barriers.
Built by Zicheng Zhao · Northeastern University
Contact: zhao.zic@northeastern.edu or zezepy070413@gmail.com
See It in Action · Why This Exists · Key Features · Quick Start · Architecture · Deploy
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Web Calculator 
Upload a structure or draw a molecule, configure the model and parameters, then explore results with a 3D viewer, trajectory animation, and energy charts. |
Multi-Model Benchmark 
Batch-evaluate models across multiple structures. Sortable leaderboard, force comparison charts, timing analysis. |
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Sketch-a-Molecule 
Draw any organic molecule with the built-in sketcher. Real-time validation, SMILES, and molecular descriptors. |
MACE Link — Share Results 
Every calculation becomes a permanent, shareable link. The full dashboard — energy, forces, 3D viewer, exports. |
Watch the full walkthrough
Draw a molecule → generate 3D coordinates → run MACE-OFF → explore results → share as a permanent link.
Tip: If the video doesn't render on GitHub, download
public/demo-video.mp4to view locally.
"In the science community, you rarely see a disabled scientist."
How many talented scientists are we losing because of inaccessible tools? We want to be the pioneers of creating an accessible scientific web interface, encouraging the science community to respect people with needs.
Machine learning interatomic potentials like MACE (NeurIPS 2022) have reached a point where they rival density functional theory in accuracy while running orders of magnitude faster. But using them still requires Python scripting, command-line fluency, and environment setup that shuts out a large number of researchers, especially those with accessibility needs, those in under-resourced labs, or students encountering computational chemistry for the first time.
This project removes that barrier. Upload a crystal structure, draw a molecule on a canvas, or pick one from a catalog and get publication-quality results in seconds, from any browser.
Draw any organic molecule and run a simulation — no files, no code, no setup.
Open the built-in sketcher (powered by JSME), draw bonds and atoms, and the interface handles everything: real-time validation via RDKit.js WASM, a 2D SVG preview with molecular descriptors, and one-click 3D coordinate generation through a multi-conformer physics pipeline.
How a 2D sketch becomes a real 3D structure:
- Distance bounds — Min/max constraints between all atom pairs from bond lengths, angles, torsions, and van der Waals radii
- ETKDGv3 distance geometry — Random distance matrices embedded in 3D, refined with experimental torsion preferences from the Cambridge Structural Database
- Multi-conformer sampling — Up to 50 independent conformers explore the energy landscape
- MMFF94 optimization — Each conformer is minimized with the Merck Molecular Force Field (1.30 kcal/mol mean error vs. coupled-cluster)
- Energy-ranked selection — The lowest-energy conformer is selected as input for MACE-OFF
JSME editor → SMILES → RDKit.js validation + 2D SVG (browser)
→ /api/smiles-to-xyz → RDKit Python (ETKDGv3 + MMFF94) → XYZ
→ Auto-select MACE-OFF → Run calculation → Results dashboard
Every calculation can be shared as a permanent URL. Click Share Result, get a link like mace-lake.vercel.app/r/gK7tabOE, and anyone can view the full result — 3D viewer, metrics, charts, export options — without logging in. Drawn molecules embed the 2D structure, SMILES, formula, and molecular weight directly in the shared page. Results are stored in Supabase with row-level security: once created, a shared result cannot be modified or deleted.
| Capability | Details |
|---|---|
| Structure input | Drag-and-drop upload (.xyz, .cif, .poscar, .pdb), ml-peg catalog (14 benchmark structures), or draw a molecule |
| Foundation models | MACE-MP-0 (89 elements, materials & crystals) and MACE-OFF (organic molecules, DFT-level accuracy). Small, medium, and large variants |
| Custom models | Upload your own .model file — compare side-by-side against foundation models with radar charts (MAE, RMSE, R²) |
| Calculation types | Single-point energy & forces, geometry optimization (BFGS), molecular dynamics (NVE / NVT / NPT) |
| Parameter control | Temperature, pressure, time step, friction, MD steps, force threshold, D3 dispersion correction, precision, device |
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| 3D molecular viewer | Dual-engine rendering (3Dmol.js + WEAS) with force vector overlays, multiple representations, spin, and fullscreen |
| Metrics dashboard | Five-tab interface — Summary, Forces, Energy, Structure, Raw Data — with interactive Plotly charts |
| MD trajectory player | Frame-by-frame animation with playback controls, adjustable speed, and an energy chart synced to the current frame |
| Structure intelligence | Auto-detects format, counts atoms and elements, computes bounding box, warns about large structures or multi-frame files |
| Export | PDF reports, CSV force tables, JSON results, PNG/SVG charts — everything needed for a publication or notebook |
Navigate to /benchmark to batch-evaluate 2–3 models across multiple structures. Results include a sortable leaderboard, force comparison bar charts, timing analysis with speedup ratios, energy landscape plots, and a pairwise model agreement heatmap. Export everything as CSV, JSON, or a formatted PDF.
The interface is built with accessibility as a first principle, not an afterthought:
- Keyboard navigation throughout — focus rings, Space to play/pause trajectory animations
- ARIA labels and semantic HTML — screen readers can traverse the full calculation workflow
- Colorblind-safe data palette — Paul Tol's qualitative scheme across all visualizations
- Dark scientific aesthetic — ambient glow effects, dot-grid patterns, and an animated water MD simulation on the landing page, inspired by research-tool interfaces like Schrödinger
git clone https://github.com/Jamessfks/mace.git && cd mace
npm install # frontend dependencies
pip install mace-torch ase # backend (MACE + ASE)
pip install rdkit-pypi # required for Sketch-a-Molecule
npm run dev # → http://localhost:3000The first calculation takes ~30 seconds while models download. Subsequent runs are fast.
Try the guided demo: visit http://localhost:3000/calculate?demo=true — it loads an ethanol molecule and walks you through the interface step by step.
Try the sketcher:
- Go to
/calculate→ click Draw Molecule - Draw a molecule (aspirin, caffeine, ibuprofen — anything organic)
- Click Generate 3D & Load Structure
- Click RUN MACE CALCULATION
- Explore the tabbed results dashboard, then click Share Result to get a permanent link
Browser (localhost:3000)
│
├── / Landing page with animated water MD background
│
├── /calculate Calculator — [Upload File | Draw Molecule] toggle
│ ├── Draw mode ──▶ JSME editor → SMILES → /api/smiles-to-xyz
│ │ → RDKit 3D coords → auto-load as .xyz
│ └── Upload mode ──▶ Drag-and-drop / ml-peg catalog
│
├── /benchmark Multi-model benchmark suite
│
├── /r/[id] MACE Link — shared result viewer
│
▼
Next.js API Routes
├── /api/smiles-to-xyz SMILES → 3D XYZ (RDKit multi-conformer + MMFF94)
├── /api/calculate MACE calculation (single-point / opt / MD)
├── /api/benchmark Batch evaluation (model × structure pairs)
└── /api/generate-surface Surface slab generation (ASE)
│
▼
Supabase Shared results storage (RLS-protected)
| Mode | When | How |
|---|---|---|
| Local | MACE_API_URL not set |
Python subprocess on same machine |
| Remote | MACE_API_URL set |
Forwards to hosted API (e.g. Hugging Face Spaces) |
| Layer | Stack |
|---|---|
| Frontend | Next.js 16, React 19, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS |
| 3D rendering | 3Dmol.js, WEAS widget |
| Charts | Plotly.js, Recharts |
| Chemistry (browser) | RDKit.js (WASM), JSME molecule editor |
| Chemistry (server) | RDKit (Python), MACE-torch, ASE |
| Data | Supabase (Postgres + row-level security) |
| Reports | @react-pdf/renderer |
| Step | Frontend (Vercel) | Backend (Hugging Face Spaces) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Push to GitHub | Create a new Space at huggingface.co (SDK: Docker) |
| 2 | Import repo at vercel.com | Push mace-api/ contents to the Space repo |
| 3 | Set MACE_API_URL and Supabase env vars |
Copy the Space URL (e.g. https://<user>-mace-api.hf.space) |
| Model | Best For | Elements | Training Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| MACE-MP-0 | Materials, crystals, surfaces | 89 elements | Materials Project DFT |
| MACE-OFF | Organic molecules, drug-like compounds | H, C, N, O, F, P, S, Cl, Br, I | wB97M-D3BJ coupled-cluster quality |
| Custom | Domain-specific accuracy | Your training set | Upload .model file |
Click to expand full file tree
mace/
app/
api/
calculate/route.ts # Single-structure calculation API
benchmark/route.ts # Batch benchmark API (model × structure)
smiles-to-xyz/route.ts # SMILES → 3D XYZ conversion API
generate-surface/route.ts # Surface slab generation via ASE
calculate/page.tsx # Calculator page with [Upload | Draw] toggle
benchmark/
page.tsx # Multi-model benchmark page
loading.tsx # Loading spinner
r/[id]/
page.tsx # MACE Link server component (data fetch)
shared-result-view.tsx # MACE Link client component (full dashboard)
globals.css # Design system (CSS custom properties)
layout.tsx # Root layout + metadata
page.tsx # Landing page with animated hero
components/
calculate/
molecule-sketcher.tsx # Sketch-a-Molecule: JSME + RDKit.js validation
charts/
chart-config.ts # Shared Plotly config + colorblind-safe palette
parity-plot.tsx # Predicted vs. reference scatter plot
error-histogram.tsx # Error distribution histogram
energy-convergence.tsx # Energy vs. step line chart
radar-comparison.tsx # Multi-metric spider chart
trajectory/
trajectory-viewer.tsx # MD animation player with controls
energy-chart.tsx # SVG energy chart synced to frames
file-upload-section.tsx # Drag-and-drop upload + ml-peg catalog
metrics-dashboard.tsx # Tabbed results dashboard (5 tabs)
mlpeg-catalog.tsx # Benchmark structure browser
model-comparison.tsx # Custom vs. foundation model comparison
molecule-viewer-3d.tsx # 3Dmol.js + WEAS dual-engine viewer
parameter-panel.tsx # Model selection + calculation params
pdf-report.tsx # PDF report generator
structure-info.tsx # Auto-parsed structure summary + warnings
structure-preview.tsx # Click-to-display 3D preview
weas-viewer.tsx # WEAS iframe viewer
benchmark/
benchmark-config.tsx # Model + structure selection panel
benchmark-dashboard.tsx # Tabbed results container (5 tabs)
benchmark-leaderboard.tsx # Sortable energy/atom comparison table
benchmark-force-bars.tsx # RMS force bar chart + per-atom table
benchmark-timing.tsx # Timing bar chart + speedup ratios
benchmark-energy-landscape.tsx # Energy/atom scatter+line plot
benchmark-heatmap.tsx # Pairwise model agreement heatmap
benchmark-export.tsx # CSV / JSON / PDF export
ui/ # shadcn/ui primitives
intro-section.tsx # Landing page hero + features grid
water-md-canvas.tsx # Animated Three.js water background
lib/
mlpeg-catalog.ts # ml-peg structure definitions (14 structures)
parse-structure.ts # Multi-format structure parser
share.ts # MACE Link: save/load shared results (Supabase)
supabase.ts # Supabase client singleton
utils.ts
mace-api/
Dockerfile # Docker image for HF Spaces deployment
smiles_to_xyz.py # SMILES → 3D XYZ (RDKit multi-conformer + MMFF94)
calculate_local.py # Standalone MACE calculation script
generate_surface.py # ASE surface slab generator
main.py # FastAPI server for cloud deployment
requirements.txt
types/
mace.ts # TypeScript type definitions
public/
RDKit_minimal.js # RDKit WASM loader (static asset)
RDKit_minimal.wasm # RDKit WASM binary (static asset)
demo/ # Demo structures (ethanol.xyz, water.xyz)
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| First calculation slow (~30s) | Normal — model downloads on first use, cached afterward |
mace-torch install fails |
Install PyTorch first: pip install torch. Requires Python 3.10+ |
| CUDA out of memory | Switch to CPU in the parameter panel, or use a smaller model |
| Sketcher shows blank editor | JSME needs pixel dimensions — resize the browser window to trigger re-measurement |
| RDKit WASM fails to load | Verify public/RDKit_minimal.js and public/RDKit_minimal.wasm exist |
torch.load / weights_only error |
PyTorch 2.6+ issue — already patched in calculate_local.py. Run pip install --upgrade mace-torch |
| MACE-OFF element error | MACE-OFF only supports 10 organic elements. Use MACE-MP-0 for metals/inorganics |
| Shared link shows "not found" | The result ID may be invalid. Shared results are permanent once created |
Built on the MACE framework by Batatia et al. (NeurIPS 2022). Sketch-a-Molecule uses RDKit for 3D coordinate generation and JSME for molecule drawing. 3D visualization powered by 3Dmol.js and WEAS. The ml-peg benchmark structures are sourced from established computational materials science datasets.
Academic use · MACE-OFF under Academic Software License