A molecular model can contain far more information than you need to answer one question. When inspecting a structure, the challenge is often not simply to make it visible: it is to select the right parts, isolate the detail you care about, and keep track of what you selected. A focused way to learn these skills is to watch the SAMSON 2025 webinar in short sections, using each chapter to explore one part of the inspection process.
The recording covers several tools that address different steps: selection editors, progressive clipping, Quick Groups, protein alignment, and interaction diagrams. Rather than watching the webinar as one long product tour, use it as a guided learning session. Pick a question about your own model, watch the relevant chapter, then pause and consider how that tool could help you investigate it.
Start with selection
Begin with the View and Point selection editors chapter at 1:30. Selection is the foundation for many inspection tasks: before examining a region or comparing components, you need a reliable way to identify what you mean. As you watch, note which selection approach feels most natural for the kind of work you do—choosing items in a view or working through a point-based interaction.
Next, see Progressive Clipping at 7:27. When a structure looks crowded, removing visual obstruction gradually can help bring internal regions into view. Treat this chapter as a prompt to ask: what part of the model is currently hidden, and what visual context do I need to retain while inspecting it?
Keep useful selections organized
At 14:42, the webinar introduces Quick Groups, described as a way to store and control selections. This is useful to consider when your investigation involves returning to the same parts of a structure more than once. Instead of relying on memory, think about which selections you would want to revisit—for example, regions you are comparing or components that matter to a particular question. The webinar shows the feature; your own model will determine which groups are worth keeping.
Move from inspection to comparison
If your work involves more than one protein, jump to Protein Aligner at 20:33. The chapter covers aligning multiple protein sequences and structures. This can help frame a comparison: rather than looking at two structures independently, you can investigate how their sequences and structures relate through an alignment workflow.
For protein–ligand work, continue to the Interaction designer chapter at 30:02. It covers creating and editing 2D and 3D protein–ligand interaction diagrams. These diagrams provide another way to represent interactions alongside the 3D structure, which can make it easier to communicate what you are examining.
Make the recording work for you
You do not need to watch every chapter in order. Start with the issue slowing you down: selecting, seeing through a crowded view, keeping selections organized, comparing proteins, or presenting ligand interactions. Use the chapter timestamps to go directly to the relevant section, then return to the full recording if you want the broader context. A small, specific question makes a feature tour more useful: identify a region, compare two structures, or decide how to show a protein–ligand interaction.
Watch the SAMSON 2025 webinar recording, and visit the webinars documentation page to learn more.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.