IMOD
About:
"IMOD is a set of image processing, modeling and display programs used for tomographic reconstruction and for 3D reconstruction of EM serial sections and optical sections."
IMOD is a program I have spent countless hours using to generate data for my PhD. The program was developed by the University of Colorado in Boulder and during my PhD I was fortunate enough meet the primary author of the program, Dr David Mastronarde, who showed me how I could create my own "plugin windows" for the main IMOD interface "3dmod".
Since then, I have developed several small plugin windows which, with the help of David, have now been incorporated into the IMOD. On this page I have provided training videos and a information about each of my four main plugins:

Videos:
WARNING: Videos may take several minutes to load

Plugins I have created:
Bead Helper
This plugin is designed to assist in the speedy refinement of
fiducial models - allowing you to quickly identify and correct
bad points. "Bead Helper" is designed to compliment the
functionality of "Bead Fixer" by providing useful visual
aids and tools which can be used to rapidly rectify or delete bad contours - i.e. contours where the fiducial marker has
tracked poorly. If tracking goes well you probably won't need
Bead Helper, but in situations where tracking proves problematic
Bead Helper has many tools which may be able to help. (more)
Drawing Tools
This plugin provides a set of drawing tools which allows you to
rapidly draw, modidy and erase contours. To use these tools make sure
3dmod is on "Model" mode, the "Drawing Tools" plugin window is open and you've selected the "Draw Mode" you wish to use.
Notice in the Zap window that many of the tools use a red "sculpt circle", the size of which can be changed using mouse
wheel. (more)
Interpolator
This plugin allows for rapid segmentation of surfaces
by automatically generating "interpolated" contours between
the "key" contours which you have manually drawn.
Each time you add a new contour, press [Enter] (instead of [n])
and the program will generate interpolated contours between
any connected key contours either side of the contour you have
just added or modifed.
Contours are "connected" if they are within "Z Bridge" slices
of each other and the computer believes they are part of the same surface
as according to the selected "surface method".
The shape of interpolated contours depends on which "interpolation type" you have selected. (more)
Name Wizard
I designed this plugin to encourage the use of proper and consistent names and colors of objects in IMOD. Students labelling objects incosistenly or not at all is a big problem, but using this plugin users can use an autocomplete to select from a huge list of "proper names" which tie in with the "Neurolex" and "Gene Ontology" databases of accepted names and unique identifiers for each (read more about this problem). This list is loaded from a CSV (comma seperated value) file which can be modified to changes hyperlinks, preferred colors or add names. By default there are just over 200 entries which were taken from the NeuroLex "Subcellular Parts Table". In addition to auto-complete, this plugin helps rapidly enter and verify that all names match the entries in the CSV file. There are also options here to manage objects by reordering, deleting, merging or splitting. Thus, if you are serious about making your group use consistent labels, I recommending installing the same CSV and installing Name Wizard on all computers in your group. (more)

NOTE: I have written more on the topic of creating IMOD plugins here.
