Molecular modelers often face the challenge of dealing with a wide variety of file formats when working on projects that span multiple software platforms. Ensuring compatibility across tools can be time-consuming and frustrating. Fortunately, SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, is designed to make this process easier by supporting a comprehensive and flexible range of file formats, catering to needs such as molecular structures, 3D geometries, animations, and more.
What Makes SAMSON Stand Out?
SAMSON supports both its proprietary formats (SAM and SAMX) and an extensive selection of industry-standard file types, enabling seamless collaboration across workflows. Most of these formats are available in SAMSON immediately after installation, while others can be added using extensions. In addition, you’re not limited to standard file use—SAMSON even allows embedding non-standard files like PDFs, images, and scripts into its own SAMSON Documents.
Key Features of Supported Formats
- SAM and SAMX: These proprietary formats are versatile, allowing for the efficient storage of molecular structures, meshes, animations, simulators, and more. Additionally, they can embed folders and files, making them an ideal choice for saving extensive project data in a single file.
- Molecular Structures: A vast array of molecular formats like PDB, CIF, MOL2, and more are supported. These formats facilitate tasks like examining crystallographic data, visualizing macromolecular structures, or accessing interaction models.
- 3D Geometries: SAMSON treats 3D geometries as meshes. Popular formats such as OBJ, glTF, and STL can be imported and exported, ensuring compatibility with major 3D modeling software.
- Images and Animations: SAMSON allows importing image formats like BMP, PNG, and JPG as meshes, while animations and presentation outputs can be saved as MP4, WEBM, or GIF files for sharing across platforms.
- Python Scripts: For advanced users, SAMSON supports Python scripts (.py) for execution within the platform using its built-in Code Editor, enabling customization and the automation of modeling tasks.
How to Extend SAMSON’s Functionality
No tool can preemptively cover every possible user need, but SAMSON offers the opportunity to add new formats through extensions. Developers familiar with the platform can create importers and exporters for additional data types. The modular nature of SAMSON ensures that niche file types and specific project requirements can be accommodated efficiently.
Why This Matters for Molecular Modelers
The true advantage of SAMSON’s wide-ranging support for formats lies in the elimination of compatibility bottlenecks. A molecular modeler working with structural data, 3D geometries, or trajectory files doesn’t need to spend hours converting formats or debugging imports. Instead, they can focus on their actual work—designing and analyzing molecules.
To learn more about SAMSON and its supported file formats, visit the original documentation page at https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/supported-formats/.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON today at SAMSON Connect.