When you are focused on a molecular modeling task, losing time to a hidden panel or an unfamiliar menu can interrupt your thinking. The first step to a smoother workflow is knowing where the main parts of SAMSON live—and how to bring them back when they disappear.
This quick orientation is useful whether you are opening SAMSON for the first time or returning to a workspace that someone else customized. Think of the interface as a set of tools around your molecular scene: each area has a distinct role, and you can arrange many of them to suit the way you work.
Start with the molecular scene
The viewport is where you see the three-dimensional representation of your document. Nearby, the Document view represents the document’s structure, while the Inspector gives access to parameters for selected nodes, such as atoms, residues, and molecules. When you need to understand what is selected or inspect its properties, those two panels are natural places to look.
The History lists actions you have performed. The Asset Browser provides access to libraries for adding atoms, fragments, or molecules, and the Animator is where you can create presentations and work with animation effects. The menu brings together commands, workspaces, and open documents; its contents depend on the installed SAMSON Extensions.
Knowing these names makes instructions and troubleshooting easier: if you need a property, think Inspector; if you need to locate an object in the document, look to Document view; if you want to review actions, check History.
Bring a panel back with a shortcut
If a panel is hidden, you do not necessarily need to hunt through menus. The following shortcuts show or hide common interface areas. Use Ctrl on Windows and Cmd on macOS:
| Panel | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Document view | Ctrl+1 | Cmd+1 |
| Inspector | Ctrl+2 | Cmd+2 |
| History | Ctrl+3 | Cmd+3 |
| Asset Browser | Ctrl+4 | Cmd+4 |
| Animator | Ctrl+7 | Cmd+7 |
There are shortcuts for other areas too, including SAMSON AI (0), Periodic Table (5), Job Manager (6), Python console (8), and Code Editor (9). For example, use Ctrl+2 or Cmd+2 to bring up the Inspector when you need to check parameters. The full shortcut list is available in the interface reference.
Make the workspace fit your task
Panels such as Document view, History, and Inspector can be rearranged by dragging their title bars. You can dock widgets together or undock them and place them elsewhere. That lets you prioritize the panels you use most without treating the default layout as fixed. Your customized interface is saved and loaded the next time you open SAMSON.
You can also switch workspaces to change how the menu is represented. If a command, app, or editor is hard to find, use Find everything at the top of the menu. Its shortcut is Shift+E. Search can also help locate documentation, and hovering over items lets you add them to favorites using the star icon. Favorites appear in dedicated sections, making frequently used tools quicker to reach.
A practical habit is to search for a tool the first time, then favorite it if you expect to use it again. For panels you rely on during repeated tasks, learn the shortcut and arrange the workspace so those panels are easy to reach. These small adjustments reduce the time spent navigating and help keep attention on the model.
For a complete overview of the interface and additional panel details, read the SAMSON Interface reference. To continue with camera control and viewport navigation, see Moving around. For more on the first-look tour, visit the original documentation page.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.