For many molecular modelers, one persistent challenge is finding the right specialized tool for a specific task. Whether you’re visualizing electron densities, editing complex structures, or running cloud simulations, the core installation of a modeling platform might not offer the exact functionality you need out of the box. This is where SAMSON Extensions come in.
SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, uses an open and modular architecture. That means instead of bundling all features into one installation, users can add only the tools they need, when they need them. These tools are called SAMSON Extensions and are accessible through the SAMSON Connect Marketplace.
What Are SAMSON Extensions?
SAMSON Extensions come in various types:
- Apps – for calculations, simulations, or connecting to external services
- Editors – to interactively modify models using mouse and keyboard inputs
- Importers and Exporters – for reading/writing different file formats like PDB and XYZ
- Visual Models – to display data such as secondary structures or volume maps
- Interaction Models – for computing forces and energies
- State Updaters – like energy minimization or molecular dynamics engines
These modules allow you to quickly adapt SAMSON to your workflow whether you’re doing protein engineering, material design, or chemical simulations.
Browsing and Installing Extensions
To add or remove extensions, simply:
- Sign in to your account at SAMSON Connect.
- Visit the Extensions Marketplace.
- Browse or search for the extension you need.
- Click to add it to your SAMSON installation.
Some extensions are domain-specific, while others provide general utilities. For example, you might find an extension that loads specific file formats from electron microscopy datasets, or another that connects you to cloud-based simulation infrastructure.
Making the Platform Yours
The ability to customize SAMSON through these extensions is helpful in collaborative environments where different team members may need different capabilities. You only install what’s relevant to your part of the project. This modularity also keeps your interface less cluttered and improves performance by avoiding unnecessary components.
Why It Matters
By combining only the Extensions you need, you avoid wading through dozens of irrelevant features, and instead build an environment optimized for your specific use case — whether that’s interactive structure editing or batch processing of large datasets.
Think of the SAMSON Connect Marketplace as your personal toolbox — you reach in and select only what’s needed for the task at hand.
To learn more, visit the full documentation page on SAMSON Extensions.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.