As a molecular modeler, having precise visual annotations in your workspace is key to efficient communication and analysis of molecular structures. Labels, displaying names, group descriptions, or measurements, can transform your viewport into an organized and visually rich space. Whether you’re documenting your project or presenting findings, SAMSON’s labeling tools offer a comprehensive solution for adding clarity to your designs.
How to Add Labels in SAMSON
Adding labels to your molecular structures in SAMSON is straightforward and versatile. Labels can be applied to selected nodes such as molecules, residues, or atoms. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
1. Adding Labels via the Context Toolbar
When you select a group of nodes in your molecular model, the context toolbar offers two intuitive options for labels:
- Add label: This adds a single label to the selected node or group of nodes.
- Add label to…: With this option, you can add labels to specific types of nodes, including descendants of your selected nodes, such as all residues within a molecule.
Here’s how this looks in SAMSON’s interface:
2. Adding Labels Directly in the Viewport
If you’d prefer to add labels dynamically in the 3D viewport, activate the Label editor tool from the left-side menu of the viewport. Remember that the type of nodes you can label depends on the current selection filter, allowing you to label atoms, residues, and other elements precisely.
Here’s a demonstration of how you can add labels interactively in the viewport:
Why Use Labels?
Labels are especially useful for illustrating specific parts of your system, such as measurements between atoms, highlighting residues in a protein sequence, or tracking named regions in a structure. Moreover, SAMSON makes it highly convenient to include these annotations in saved files (.sam or .samx formats), ensuring that they are preserved for future use or collaborative projects.
Bonus: Customizing Your Labels
Labels are not just about placement—they are highly customizable. Once added, you can easily:
- Change their visibility to focus on key structures.
- Adjust their font style or size for readability.
- Color-code them for categorical differentiation.
- Move labels to different viewpoints for clarity.
SAMSON offers dedicated tools like the Inspector and Move editors to ensure that every label fits perfectly within your model.
Conclusion
Incorporating labels into your molecular designs doesn’t just make them visually appealing—it enhances their interpretability, especially when communicating complex structures to others. Explore more advanced techniques and tools for labeling by visiting the official documentation page. SAMSON empowers you to mold your molecular models with precision and professionalism!
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON today at samson-connect.net.