PLATON is written by Ton Spek, and is a versatile crystallographic tool implementing a large variety of standard geometrical calculations (i.e. bonds, angles, torsions, planes, rings, inter-molecular contacts (H-Bond analysis), Coordination etc), tests (i.e. for missing symmetry, voids in the lattice etc.), utilities (cell transformation, SHELXL input etc.), graphics (e.g automatic labelled 'ORTEP-lookalike plots and the molecular graphics program PLUTON) and several filters (e.g. the DIFABS technique for empirical absorption correction (Walker & Stuart), and the SQUEEZE option for handling disordered solvents, described by Sluis & Spek, Acta Cryst. 1990,A46, 194). This latter option places great demands on the available memory.
PLATON是通用结晶学软件工具，可以用来进行各种几何学计算、分子内氢键分析、作图等等。支持PDb格式，但许多功能不能用来分析蛋白。若安装过RASMOL与POV-RAY,设置后，可直接调用这两个程序。
