When designing or analyzing molecular structures, precise positioning and alignment are critical tasks that often demand intuitive tools. Whether you’re tweaking atomic placements, aligning meshes, or making large-scale adjustments, efficient movement tools can save you hours of frustration and refine your workflows. Let’s explore how SAMSON addresses this need with its robust Move Editors—your ultimate companions for controlled molecular editing.
What Are Move Editors?
Move editors in SAMSON offer users detailed control over the translation and rotation of molecular models along either local or global axes. These tools allow precise manipulation of selected nodes such as atoms, labels, meshes, and lights. Understanding the strengths of each move editor can empower molecular modelers to navigate complex scenarios effectively.
Types of Move Editors
SAMSON provides three dedicated move editors out-of-the-box, each tailored to specific tasks. Here’s an overview:
Displacer: This editor allows users to move objects in the camera plane, ensuring simplicity and quick adaptations for interactive simulations. To activate it, use the shortcut D.
Local Move Editor: Rotate and translate selections along their principal axes. Use the shortcut M to access this editor and work with its intuitive tools.
Global Move Editor: For tasks requiring alignment along global XYZ axes, this editor is indispensable (shortcut K).
How These Editors Work
Each editor brings its unique functionality, yet follows common foundational principles. Let’s dive deeper into one example to illustrate how SAMSON makes movement intuitive and precise: the Local Move Editor.
1. Translating in the Plane of the Camera
With the Local Move Editor activated (shortcut M), use the central translation widget—a cross with arrows—by left-clicking and dragging. This simple maneuver moves the selected nodes in-camera space:
2. Rotating Along Specific Axes
By using the curved arrow widgets, users can rotate their selection around the principal axes of the object. The colors (light blue, mid-blue, dark blue) indicate the local X, Y, and Z axes for easy orientation. Enable rotational snapping to lock the rotation to defined increments, ensuring alignment precision.
3. Free Rotation with the Trackball
The trackball tool replaces rigid rotations with a free, spherical manipulation approach. This feature gives you full control to adjust structures in unexpected directions.
Adding Snapping for Precision
Whether moving nodes or rotating them, the snapping feature ensures precision. For translation, set values like 0.5 Å, while rotation snapping options include degrees (e.g., 10°). Access snapping preferences in the viewport menu or under Preferences > Editors > Snapping.
Undo and Fine-Tune
Every operation in SAMSON is undoable, meaning you can restore previous positions if you change your mind. Right-click on widgets to input precise values for both rotation and translation, or align your object directly with the global axes. SAMSON ensures flexibility and precision every step of the way!
Conclusion
Move Editors in SAMSON streamline molecular modeling workflows by offering powerful, intuitive tools for precise adjustments. From translating atoms in the camera plane to rotating structures with snapping precision, understanding how to use these tools can significantly enhance your efficiency. To delve into the full potential of move editors and refine your modeling techniques, visit the official SAMSON documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at www.samson-connect.net.