When working on complex molecular systems, modelers often need to switch between different spatial views—zoomed-in interactions, overall structure, or specific orientations. However, changing perspective often means losing track of a previously tuned camera view, and manually restoring it can be time-consuming and frustrating.
If this sounds familiar, SAMSON offers a simple yet powerful solution: multiple cameras within a document. This feature helps you save and toggle between various viewpoints with just a double-click.
What Are Cameras in SAMSON?
Each SAMSON document contains at least one camera. A camera represents a 3D viewport into your molecular scene—it determines the position, orientation, and projection of what you see. You can:
- Translate, rotate, and zoom the camera
- Focus on specific regions or the full document
- Activate orthographic or perspective projection
- Enable camera inertia for smoother movements
Having multiple cameras offers an effective solution to the challenge of navigating large or intricate molecular datasets.
Why Use Multiple Cameras?
Suppose you are analyzing a multi-chain protein. You might want one camera configured for a close-up on the active site, another for a top-down view of the entire conformation, and a third for a side view of interaction surfaces. With SAMSON, you can have all of these cameras ready and switch between them instantly.
Only one camera can be active at a time, but you can easily switch:
- Double-click on the camera in the Document view
- Or right-click the camera and select
Set as active camera
Adding a New Camera
To create a new camera, go to Visualization > Camera in the top menu. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut:
- Ctrl + Shift + C on Windows/Linux
- Cmd + Shift + C on macOS
New cameras start with a default position, which you can then adjust manually or automatically. They’re saved with the document, so you can revisit your custom views later.
Customizing Camera Settings
Right-click on any camera in the Document view to access its context menu and perform actions such as:
- Centering on the current selection or entire document
- Toggling projection types (e.g., orthographic for crystal structures)
- Activating camera inertia for natural motion
To fine-tune camera properties like position or inertia settings, select the camera and open the Inspector window.
Practical Tip
Consider naming your cameras according to their view or purpose using labels in the Document view. For instance, “Active Site Close-up” or “Orthographic Crystal View”. This makes it easier to organize and navigate among them later.
To learn more, visit the official documentation: 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.