If you’ve ever worked on complex molecular systems, you’ve likely faced the challenge of jumping between different regions of interest. Whether you need a bird’s-eye view of the entire molecular complex or a close-up on a catalytic site, switching views efficiently can save you both time and mental effort. In SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, there’s a feature that’s often underused but extremely helpful: multiple cameras.
Each SAMSON document includes at least one camera by default, but did you know you can add more to help streamline your navigation workflow?
Why Use Multiple Cameras?
Imagine working on a molecular dynamics simulation of a protein-ligand system. You might want to:
- Have one view focused on the active site.
- Keep another camera showing the full protein structure.
- Use a third view to carefully inspect ligand binding from a particular angle.
Instead of continuously rotating, zooming, and translating one camera to shift perspectives, you can prepare multiple cameras with preset positions and switch between them with a double-click. This saves time and maintains consistency when sharing views with colleagues or preparing figures.
How to Add and Use Cameras
To add a new camera in SAMSON, go to Visualization > Camera or use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + C (or Cmd + Shift + C on macOS).
A new camera is initialized with a default viewpoint. You can immediately adjust it—rotate, translate, zoom—to match the region of interest you want to keep an eye on.
To switch between cameras, either:
- Double-click on a camera in the Document view.
- Or right-click it and select Set as active camera from the context menu.
Tweaking Your Camera Settings
Cameras in SAMSON are very configurable. By right-clicking on any camera in the Document view, you can access several options:
- Center the camera on the current selection or the full document.
- Enable/disable movement inertia for smoother transitions.
- Switch between perspective and orthographic projections (useful for crystal structures).
Want even more control? Select a camera and open the Inspector window to access and modify its properties—such as exact position, projection type, and inertia options.
Small Setup, Significant Payoff
Setting up multiple cameras takes only a few moments but pays off when you need to analyze or present your scene from consistent viewpoints. Being able to jump between detailed views without disrupting your global orientation helps maintain focus, clarity, and contextual understanding of your molecular model.
To learn more about using cameras in SAMSON, visit the full documentation here:
https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/camera/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.