When working on molecular models, navigating different views swiftly can contribute greatly to your productivity. Imagine seamlessly switching between a close-up of an active site and a full view of a large biomolecule, all within the same session. This is where SAMSON’s multi-camera capability becomes an essential feature for molecular modelers.
Why Multiple Cameras are a Game-Changer
In SAMSON, each document comes with at least one camera that provides a 3D view of your molecular model. However, you also have the ability to add multiple cameras to the same document.
By leveraging multiple cameras, you can save specific views—such as zoom-in shots, different angular perspectives, or orthographic projections—without losing precious time readjusting every time. It helps you focus on analyzing your models instead of spending time recreating views for different purposes.
Switching Cameras: A Simple Process
Switching between cameras in SAMSON is intuitive. To change the active camera, you can:
- Double-click on the camera in the Document view.
- Right-click on the camera in the Document view, and in the context menu, select Set as active camera.
This makes it easy to toggle between predefined views with minimal disruption to your workflow.
Adding and Configuring Cameras
Adding a new camera is straightforward: simply click on Visualization > Camera. The newly created camera will start with a default position, which you can modify as needed to suit your requirements.
Once you’ve added cameras, you can right-click on any camera in the Document view to access context-specific options. For instance, you can:
- Center the camera on a specific selection or the entire document.
- Activate camera inertia, enabling smoother movements with momentum.
- Switch to an orthographic projection, which is valuable for analyzing crystallographic structures.
To fine-tune your camera settings further, select the camera and open the Inspector. Here, you can manage various properties, from positions to projections.
When is this Useful?
Whether you are presenting your molecular findings or animating transitions for a project, having multiple cameras can streamline the process. You can even create compelling movie-like animations by switching smoothly between different perspectives of your model.
To learn more details about working with cameras in SAMSON, check out the full documentation page here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/camera/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.