title: The structural bioinformatics library: modeling in biomolecular science and beyond.
abstract: Software in structural bioinformatics has mainly been application driven. To favor practitioners seeking off-the-shelf applications, but also developers seeking advanced building blocks to develop novel applications, we undertook the design of the Structural Bioinformatics Library ( SBL , http://sbl.inria.fr ), a generic C ++/python cross-platform software library targeting complex problems in structural bioinformatics. Its tenet is based on a modular design offering a rich and versatile framework allowing the development of novel applications requiring well specified complex operations, without compromising robustness and performances.
  
  
  
  The SBL involves four software components (1-4 thereafter). For end-users, the SBL provides ready to use, state-of-the-art (1) applications to handle molecular models defined by unions of balls, to deal with molecular flexibility, to model macro-molecular assemblies. These applications can also be combined to tackle integrated analysis problems. For developers, the SBL provides a broad C ++ toolbox with modular design, involving core (2) algorithms , (3) biophysical models and (4) modules , the latter being especially suited to develop novel applications. The SBL comes with a thorough documentation consisting of user and reference manuals, and a bugzilla platform to handle community feedback.
  
  
  
  The SBL is available from http://sbl.inria.fr.
  
  
  
  Frederic.Cazals@inria.fr.
  
  
  
  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cazals
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dreyfus
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods*; D015723:Gene Library; D008004:Licensure; D008958:Models, Molecular; D012984:Software