We
present new methodology for exploring the energy landscapes of molecular
systems, using angle-axis variables for the rigid-body rotational
coordinates. The key ingredient is a distance measure or metric tensor,
which is invariant to global translation and rotation. The metric
is used to formulate a generalized nudged elastic band method for
calculating pathways, and a full prescription for normal-mode analysis
is described. The methodology is tested by mapping the potential energy
and free energy landscape of the water octamer, described by the TIP4P
potential.