Switching between different molecular orientations and projections is a common—and sometimes frustrating—task in molecular modeling. Whether you’re aligning molecules, creating visuals, or inspecting specific structural features like active sites or crystal lattices, constantly rotating, zooming, and panning your model can slow down your workflow and introduce inconsistencies in presentation.
If you’ve been toggling endlessly to find the right angle, there’s a built-in feature in SAMSON that might help: support for multiple cameras in the same document. This feature lets you store various viewpoints and return to them instantly, making your modeling sessions smoother and your communication clearer.
Why Use Multiple Cameras?
Let’s say you’re analyzing a large biomolecular complex. You might want one view zoomed in on the binding pocket, another for an orthographic projection to examine crystal packing, and a third one showing the full macromolecule from a distance. With SAMSON, you can set up each of these views as a separate camera and switch between them with just a click.
Only one camera can be active at a time, but having several set up allows you to:
- Rapidly move between standard views without readjusting manually
- Prepare multiple render-ready scenes for figures or animations
- Explore structural variations or docking results from consistent perspectives
- Use orthographic projections for lattice or symmetry analysis
Adding and Managing Cameras
Adding a new camera is quick: go to Visualization > Camera or use Ctrl + Shift + C (on Mac: Cmd + Shift + C). A newly added camera starts with a default position, and you can then adjust it as needed by zooming, rotating, and panning.
To switch between cameras, double-click on a camera in the Document view or right-click the camera and choose Set as active camera.
The context menu for each camera also gives fast access to key functionality:
- Center the camera on a selected structure or on the whole document
- Enable inertia for smoother navigation
- Switch to orthographic projection (useful for crystals and symmetry)
- Manually reposition the camera
Inspecting and Adjusting Camera Properties
You can edit a camera’s parameters directly using the Inspector window. This includes its position, orientation, projection mode, and more. To access it, select a camera and open the Inspector panel.
Final Thoughts
Managing multiple cameras can turn a scattered modeling session into a much more streamlined experience. Whether you’re preparing publication-quality figures or simply want to focus better on different parts of your molecule, this feature helps you stay organized and efficient.
To learn more, visit the official documentation page on cameras in SAMSON.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.