When modeling molecules, accurate and up-to-date measurements are critical. Whether you’re working on distances, angles, or torsions, being able to capture and revisit your measurements — and share them clearly with colleagues — can save time and reduce ambiguity in analysis and presentations.
Using SAMSON’s Measure editor, you can easily create interactive measurements by clicking on atoms or bonds directly in the viewport. However, many users overlook one important aspect: by default, a measurement is temporary. This means that unless it’s saved as a label in your document, it disappears when a new measurement is made.
Temporary vs. Persistent Measurements
Suppose you measure the distance between two atoms. This distance will appear temporarily on the screen, regardless of your zoom level. But make another measurement, and the previous one vanishes. If you want to keep multiple measurements visible for reference, you need to explicitly save them.
To save a measurement as a label, just press Enter after you’ve made it. This creates a persistent label in your document that stays even after you close and reopen the project.
Accessing and Editing Saved Measurements
Once a measurement is saved:
- It shows up as a label in the document view.
- Clicking on the label allows you to access the associated atoms via the Inspector.
- You can view additional projections for atom-atom distances, such as distances projected onto local planes.
Customizing Appearance
Saved labels can be tailored to your needs for better visualization, especially useful when preparing figures for presentations or publications.
- Change font, color, and offset using the Inspector.
- Adjust the color of distance lines, angle planes, and text.
- Reset to defaults by double-clicking the color swatch or pressing the clear (
) icon next to Text color.
Global Preferences for Labels
If you’d rather set fonts and decimal places globally, head to Preferences > Rendering > Labels. There, you can change the number format shown for distances and angles, as well as define a default font for all labels.
Why It Matters
Saving measurements as labels helps molecular modelers:
- Maintain a permanent record of key structural metrics
- Generate reproducible visual references
- Ensure consistency across collaborators and sessions
Simple extra steps like pressing Enter or adjusting font and color in the Inspector can make a big difference in the clarity and usefulness of your molecular models.
To learn more about measuring in SAMSON, including automatic updates and additional measurement types, visit the official documentation page.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.