CAIROTEP　is　a　light-weight　command-line　utility　for　thermal　ellipsoid　plotting.　It　is　based　on　ORTEPIII　(Version　1.03)　and　incorporates　the　CAIRO　graphics　rendering　library　as　the　plotting　back-end.　The　current　release　of　CAIROTEP　can　directly　output　molecular　graphics　in　PNG,　SVG,　PDF　and　PostScript　formats,　and　can　potentially　be　extended　to　support　a　variety　of　output　targets.　CAIROTEP　is　mainly　designed　for　integration　into　auto-processing　projects　to　perform　molecular　graphics　tasks　(e.g.　a　Web　publishing　server　for　crystal　data)　and　it　is　portable　across　all　mainstream　platforms.　©　International　Union　of　Crystallography　2008.