When working on molecular modeling projects, precise positioning of atoms, fragments, and molecular assemblies isn’t just helpful—it’s critical. Whether you’re preparing a simulation, visualizing structures, or creating educational animations, having solid control over how you manipulate objects in 3D space makes a big difference in both speed and accuracy.
In SAMSON, a powerful integrative molecular design environment, Move Editors provide an intuitive and versatile solution to this essential task. Below, we’ll introduce you to the three built-in editors designed for object manipulation:
Control Position with the Displacer Editor
The Displacer editor (shortcut D) is ideal for quick adjustments in the plane of the screen. Simply click and drag the selection or another object, and it will move within the camera plane. This is particularly useful during interactive simulations where quick repositioning can influence the outcome or provide clarity during exploration.
Navigate Locally with Precision: The Local Move Editor
With the Local Move Editor (shortcut M), SAMSON allows you to rotate and translate structures based on their principal axes. This is helpful when adjusting a specific fragment or rotating around bonds to fix angles such as dihedrals.
- Central widget: Move in the camera plane.
- Side widgets: Translate/rotate along local axes.
- Trackball: Perform free 3D rotations.
This editor even introduces a fast way to tweak dihedral angles: click a bond and fine-tune the torsion with the curved rotation widget that appears.
Work in Global Space: The Global Move Editor
The Global Move Editor (shortcut K) is perfect for standardized alignments and symmetric positioning. This tool operates along XYZ axes of the global reference frame, so it’s an excellent choice when you need reproducible transformations or are constructing symmetrical patterns.
Snapping Enhances Precision
All editors include optional snapping functionality for both translation and rotation. For instance, you might want to align objects in 10° increments or step precisely by 0.5Å. Enable snapping via the quick menu in the viewport’s top-left corner or through Interface > Preferences > Editors > Snapping.
Undo Is a Safety Net
Each movement action is fully undoable, which provides flexibility in exploration without the risk of losing your prior state. Just use Edit > Undo if needed.
Whether you’re a researcher positioning atoms for a quantum calculation or an educator assembling a molecule for an animation, these editors offer the fine control needed for an efficient workflow.
To learn more about how to manipulate molecules and other objects in SAMSON, visit the full documentation page on Moving Objects.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.