When working on complex molecular structures in SAMSON, navigating efficiently between different viewpoints can significantly improve your productivity and understanding of the system. Whether you’re analyzing binding pockets, exploring lattice arrangements, or reporting structure-function relationships, switching views without hassle is crucial. This is where SAMSON’s multiple camera support becomes especially helpful.
Each SAMSON document has at least one camera associated with it, responsible for determining the 3D point of view visible in your workspace. But what many users overlook is that you can actually insert several cameras into a single document, each with a specific framing and purpose. This can greatly streamline your workflow.
Why use multiple cameras?
Instead of constantly moving a single camera around, you can predefine and quickly switch between useful perspectives:
- Zoomed-in view of an active site
- Orthographic projection to inspect crystal lattices
- Wide-angle overview of the entire system
- Side-by-side comparison views of conformational states
This saves time, reduces repetitive manipulation, and helps maintain spatial awareness when navigating molecular assemblies.
How to add and manage multiple cameras
To add a new camera, simply go to Visualization > Camera, or use the shortcut:
- Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Shift + C
- Mac: Cmd + Shift + C
Each newly created camera appears in the Document view and starts from a default position. You can name them, reposition, and configure them individually.
Switching between cameras
You can activate a camera at any time by double-clicking on it in the Document view. Alternatively, right-click on the camera and choose Set as active camera. This is especially helpful when preparing presentation scenes or navigating large biomolecular assemblies.
Customizing camera properties
Each camera’s settings—position, projection mode, inertia, and more—can be adjusted from the Inspector window. Select the camera you’d like to modify, and adjust its parameters to suit your needs.
Optimize visualization with context actions
In the Document view, right-clicking on a camera brings up a context menu that lets you:
- Center the camera on a selection or the entire document
- Enable or disable camera inertia
- Toggle between perspective and orthographic projection modes
- Move the camera’s position manually
Switching perspectives without losing focus
By organizing your scene with multiple cameras, you avoid losing the perfect viewpoint you spent time arranging. Just switch between saved views instead of trying to return to the exact spot manually. It’s also a great way to prep for tutorials, videos, and reports.
To learn more about camera usage in SAMSON, visit the official documentation page: 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.