NAMD, recipient of a 2002 Gordon Bell Award, is a parallel molecular dynamics code designed for high-performance simulation of large biomolecular systems. Based on Charm++ parallel objects, NAMD scales to hundreds of processors on high-end parallel platforms and tens of processors on commodity clusters using gigabit ethernet. NAMD uses the popular molecular graphics program VMD for simulation setup and trajectory analysis, but is also file-compatible with AMBER, CHARMM, and X-PLOR. NAMD is distributed free of charge with source code. You can build NAMD yourself or download binaries for a wide variety of platforms. Our tutorials show you how to use NAMD and VMD for biomolecular modeling.

NAMD reference paper Scalable molecular dynamics with NAMD has over 1000 citations.

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It was 1995 when NAMD was introduced (Nelson et al.) as a parallel molecular dynamics code enabling interactive simulation by linking to the visualization code VMD. In 1999 a major improvement was accomplished in NAMD 2 (Kalé et al.), scaling to 200 processors at the time due to the efforts and software of the Parallel Programming Lab. NAMD has since matured, adding many features and scaling to thousands of processors, garnering accolades and users in the process. This progress is now collected in a NAMD review paper that presents, in a manner accessible to the novice researcher, the concepts and algorithms behind NAMD, features for steered and interactive MD and for free energy calculation, the elements of the NAMD design that enable parallel scaling, performance comparisons of a variety of platforms, and advice for productive use of NAMD on modern research projects. Case studies ranging from the typical to the elaborate demonstrate the capabilities and flexibility of NAMD. This new reference provides an excellent foundation for working through the extensive NAMD tutorials, either on your own or at a hands-on workshop.

Overview

Why NAMD? (in pictures)
Steered Molecular Dynamics
Interactive Molecular Dynamics
Features and Capabilities
Performance Benchmarks
Publications and Citations
Credits and Development Team

Availability

Read the License
Download NAMD Binaries (also VMD)
Build from Source Code
Run at NCSA, SDSC, PSC, Indiana, or Texas
Free GPU Test Drive from NVIDIA Partners
NAMD in Scienomics Software

Training

GPU Programming Workshop in Urbana
   (Aug 6-8, 2010) Apply by July 29.
NRBSC "Hands-On" Workshop in Pittsburgh
Charm++ Workshop (April 28-30, 2010)
"Hands-On" Computational Biophysics Workshops
Older Workshops

Support

Announcements

NAMD 2.7b3 (July 2010)
Free GPU Test Drive (July 2010)
NAMD 2.7 Feature Preview
NAMD 2.6 (August 2006)
How to Cite NAMD
Previous Announcements

Documentation

Adaptive Biasing Force Website
Interactive Molecular Dynamics Tutorial
Related Codes, Scripts, and Examples
NAMD Wiki (Recent Changes)
Older Documentation

News

Molecular Machines Replicate and Repair DNA
Sound Science
Blueprint for the Affordable Genome
Mechanics of Hearing and Deafness
NAMD Paper Has 1000 Citations
Closing the Gaps
Inside the Swine Flu Virus
GPU Acceleration in Development
NCSA IACAT to Accelerate NAMD
Parkinson's, Alzheimer's Diseases
Knock, Knock, Who's There?
Step Up to the BAR Domain
Older News Items