How do I make a Ramachandran plot from phi and psi?

Paste φ and ψ in degrees, optionally with a residue name and label. The tool wraps angles, classifies each point on a teaching contour, and draws the scatter. Download the SVG for a report or slide.

What does a Ramachandran plot tell you?

It shows which backbone conformations are sterically favored. A tight α-helix cluster sits near −57/−47. β residues sit in the upper-left island. Points far from those islands are outliers and often mean a bad angle, a glycine exception, or a cis peptide you should inspect.

Is this the same as a protein structure diagram?

No. A protein structure diagram is a cartoon of primary, secondary, tertiary, or quaternary fold. A Ramachandran plot is a φ/ψ scatter. Use the protein structure generator for the cartoon.

Does this parse a PDB file or run MolProbity?

No. It does not fetch a PDB, measure atoms, or apply Lovell 2003 / MolProbity statistics. Paste angles you already have. The shaded regions are a teaching map.

Why are glycine and proline different?

Glycine has no β-carbon, so more of the φ/ψ plane is allowed. Proline’s ring holds φ near about −65°. Switch the contour or name the residue Gly/Pro so those points use the matching map.

Is the Ramachandran plot generator free?

The precise, number-driven chart is free to use and free to download as SVG, with no sign-up. Sign in only if you want AI illustrations or other ConceptViz generation tools.

Structural Biology Tool

Ramachandran Plot Generator for backbone φ/ψ

Free Ramachandran plot generator. Paste residue φ and ψ angles to draw allowed regions, then download SVG.

Paste residue φ and ψTeaching favored and allowed regionsGlycine and proline contoursDownload a watermark-free SVG — free

Paste residue φ and ψ — renders allowed regions as SVG, free

Residue φ and ψ

Paste φ and ψ in degrees. Optional residue names classify Gly and Pro. This tool does not parse a PDB file or draw a 3D fold.

φ, ψ table (degrees)

Title

Show allowed (not just favored)

n=4 · favored 4 · allowed 0 · outlier 0. Contours are a teaching map, not a MolProbity validation.

Ramachandran Plot Examples

The first four are exact engine renders from φ and ψ. The last two are AI illustrations of Illustration mode.

View:

Right-handed α helix

Exact engine render — canonical α-helix cluster at φ = −57°, ψ = −47°.

ramachandranhelix

β sheet

Exact engine render — antiparallel and parallel β angles.

ramachandransheet

Helix, sheet, and outlier

Exact engine render — (0, 0) stays an outlier on the general map.

ramachandranoutlier

Glycine-rich backbone

Exact engine render — glycine uses a wider allowed map than a general residue.

ramachandranglycine

AI illustration — teaching

AI illustration of Illustration mode — visual mockup, not computed from φ and ψ.

aiillustration

AI illustration — quality check

AI illustration of Illustration mode — not a MolProbity validation.

aiillustration

What is a Ramachandran plot?

A Ramachandran plot is backbone torsion φ versus ψ, usually from −180° to 180° on both axes. Steric clashes leave only a few favored islands: right-handed α helix near (−57, −47), β sheet near (−139, +135) and (−119, +113), and a small left-handed α island near (+57, +47). This page plots the angles you paste on a teaching contour. It does not parse a PDB file, run MolProbity, or draw a 3D ribbon. For a cartoon of primary through quaternary structure, use the protein structure diagram generator.

How to enter φ and ψ

Paste two numeric columns. Headers such as phi, psi, res, and label are recognized. Angles wrap into [−180, 180]. Glycine and proline names switch that residue onto a wider or narrower map; other names stay on the general-residue contour.
The teal fill is the favored core, drawn as the usual smooth islands (α, β, αL). The amber fill is a broader allowed belt around them. Points are colored favored, allowed, or outlier. The contour is a classroom map, not the Lovell / MolProbity statistical boundary.
This page does not download coordinates from the PDB, compute angles from atoms, or certify a deposited structure.

Ramachandran plot versus a protein cartoon

A ribbon or four-level protein diagram shows fold shape. A Ramachandran plot shows whether each residue’s backbone torsions sit in a sterically allowed island. Use this page for φ/ψ. Use the protein structure generator when you need helices and sheets drawn in space.

Export

Download a scalable SVG with no watermark and no account required for the precise chart. The AI Illustration tab is only for slides when you do not have angles yet — it will not match your table.