Ovito Top May 2026

OVITO has popularized the Polyhedral Template Matching (PTM) algorithm, a significant evolution over the older Common Neighbor Analysis (CNA). PTM is robust against thermal fluctuations—a persistent problem in MD simulations.

When an researcher applies the PTM modifier: ovito top

This "top-down" view allows researchers to instantly identify defects. For example, in a perfect FCC crystal, a stacking fault appears as a distinct plane of HCP atoms. OVITO makes this invisible defect visible at the "top" level of the visualization window. OVITO has popularized the Polyhedral Template Matching (PTM)

The "Top" functionality is primarily accessed through the Dislocation Analysis (DXA) modifier in OVITO. Here is the typical workflow: In a raw simulation dump

Select Structure: Choose the expected input crystal structure (e.g., FCC, BCC, HCP, or Diamond).

Execution: OVITO will perform three steps:

Visualization:

In a raw simulation dump, dislocations appear as messy strings of atoms. OVITO Top transforms this noise into clean, vector-based lines. This allows for high-quality publication visualizations and easier quantitative analysis (e.g., counting dislocation density over time).