When presenting a molecular structure, a static view can make it difficult to explain which components are docked together and what changes when they separate. Moving every component by hand can also make an animation harder to revise. In SAMSON, the Undock animation offers a focused way to show groups of atoms or meshes moving away from their docked positions.
This is especially useful when preparing a presentation or explanatory view of a structure: the animation makes the change in arrangement visible, while its keyframes and movement amplitude remain adjustable. It is a presentation tool, though—not evidence that a molecule follows a particular physical pathway or timescale. Treat it as a way to communicate spatial relationships clearly.
Set up the selection deliberately
Before adding the effect, select at least two structural nodes or meshes. The first selected node serves as the static receptor; the remaining selected nodes are the ones that move. That selection order matters. If you want multiple nodes to remain together as the receptor, place them in a folder and select that folder first, followed by the nodes to animate.
A useful check before creating the animation is to ask: “What should stay in place, and what should move?” Make the receptor the first selection, and include only the components you want to see undock. This simple planning step helps avoid an animation that moves the wrong part of the scene.
Create the movement, then refine its timing
With the selection ready, open the Animation panel in the Animator and double-click the Undock effect. SAMSON creates the movement between two keyframes. You can move those keyframes to change where the animation begins and ends in your presentation.
The movement amplitude—the distance the selected components travel—is computed automatically when the animation is created. If that separation does not suit the view you want to communicate, inspect the animation and adjust its amplitude in the Inspector. You can also change the easing curve to modify how parameters are interpolated between frames. In practical terms, amplitude controls how far the parts move; the easing curve controls how the transition unfolds between keyframes.
Make the animation easier to interpret
For a clear presentation, consider the animation from the viewer’s perspective. Keep the receptor easy to identify, and make sure the moving components are the ones you intend to discuss. If the separation feels too subtle or too large for the view, adjust the amplitude rather than rebuilding the scene. If the movement takes place too quickly or slowly in the presentation, reposition the keyframes. These controls let you refine the explanation without changing which nodes are selected.
If no nodes are selected, SAMSON will try to guess which nodes the animation should apply to. For a presentation where the roles of receptor and moving components matter, an explicit selection is the more predictable approach.
One interface detail is worth noting: an example movie in the documentation uses an Animation menu that is no longer present. In current SAMSON, access animations through the Animation panel in the Animator; presentation actions are available through the Animator’s controls.
Use Undock when the point of your presentation is to show selected components moving apart from a docked arrangement. For the corresponding animation that brings components together, see Dock. For setup details and related properties, visit the Undock documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.