When you need to adjust several atoms, editing them one by one is slow—and it is easy to introduce small inconsistencies. The Inspector in SAMSON can apply an attribute change to selected nodes of the same type together. The important detail is understanding what the Relative option does before you change positions.
Start with the selection
Select the atoms you want to edit, then open the Inspector from Interface > Inspector. You can also use Ctrl+2 on Windows or Linux, Cmd+2 on Mac, or open it from the selection’s context toolbar.
The Inspector organizes attributes by node type and attribute group. A selection can contain different kinds of nodes, so the available groups depend on what you selected. If you are working with a group of atoms, check that the intended atoms are included before editing.
Know what the displayed value means
One detail can be confusing when a selection contains multiple atoms: the Inspector displays the attribute values of the last selected node of that type. So if several atoms are selected, the position shown is not a summary or average of all their positions. It is the position of the atom selected last.
That does not mean an edit applies only to that atom. When you modify an attribute, SAMSON applies the change to all selected nodes of the same type. Keep this distinction in mind: the displayed value comes from one node, while the edit affects the selected group.
Move a group while preserving its internal arrangement
To move a selected group without making every atom share one position, leave Relative turned on when editing position. The selected atoms change position while retaining their relative positions within the group. This is the setting to use when the goal is to reposition the group as a whole rather than collapse its atoms onto a single coordinate.
If you turn Relative off, the selected atoms’ positions are changed to the same value. That may be useful when you deliberately want identical position values, but it is usually not what you want when repositioning a structure or part of one. If the result is not what you intended, you can undo the change using SAMSON’s history mechanism.
Find the attribute before editing
When the Inspector contains many attributes, use its filter instead of scrolling through every group. With at least one atom selected, type position in the filter to show matching attributes. This makes it easier to focus on the property you need and reduces the chance of editing a similarly named attribute by mistake.
After locating the position attribute, make the intended change and watch the structure to check the result. A quick visual check is especially helpful when editing a group: confirm that the atoms moved as expected and that their arrangement remains intact.
A simple editing checklist
- Select the nodes you actually want to change.
- Open the Inspector and confirm the relevant node type is shown.
- Filter for the attribute, such as
position. - Remember that the displayed value belongs to the last selected node of that type.
- For a group move that preserves the group’s internal arrangement, keep Relative on.
- Check the result, and undo if the change was not intended.
This workflow helps avoid a common modeling frustration: making a group-wide edit while accidentally changing the relationship between its atoms. For more details about attribute groups, resetting values, and editing other properties, see the SAMSON Inspector documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.