When preparing molecular animations for presentations or publication, one common challenge molecular modelers face is how to clearly convey spatial changes in the structure. Whether you’re assembling a trajectory, showing conformational changes, or simply rotating a protein for visual inspection, achieving a smooth and intuitive rotation improves communication and saves time adjusting scenes manually.
This is where the Rotate animation in SAMSON can help. Designed with simplicity in mind, this animation effect rotates a selected group of atoms or molecules around its geometric center (the centroid), using the Z-axis as the primary axis of rotation. If you’ve ever wanted to create a seamless loop of your model turning in place for a visual highlight — this tool is for you.
Why Use the Rotate Animation?
Let’s say you need to visualize the symmetry of a molecule, or want to add dynamism to your scientific poster or video. Manually rotating frames in a molecular visualization application might lead to inconsistencies. Instead, by applying the Rotate animation in SAMSON, consistency is ensured and the output is presentation-ready.
How It Works
To use the Rotate animation:
- Select the group of particles you want to rotate. This could be a single molecule, a residue, or an entire complex.
- Open the Animation panel in the Animator and double-click the Rotate animation effect.
- SAMSON inserts the animation between two keyframes. You can freely adjust the position of these keyframes on the timeline to increase or decrease the animation duration.
- Optionally, fine-tune the speed and timing with an Easing curve to interpolate the rotation in a non-linear way if needed.
Rotation Details
The rotation occurs around a vector aligned with the global Z-axis, passing through the centroid of the selected particle group. This means regardless of where your molecule is positioned in space, the rotation remains centered and predictable — a critical feature when assembling modular animation sequences.
If you’re building longer animations (e.g., combining movement and rotation, or highlighting specific domains), this predictable behavior allows you to stack animation effects consistently and non-destructively.
Additional Notes
- Keyframes can be moved at any time in the timeline, offering flexibility as you build your animation sequence.
- The Rotate function is now accessible only via the Animator > Animation panel. Note that any older instructional videos referencing the ‘Animation menu’ are outdated.
Want your molecular scenes to come alive through rotation? Visual clarity often lies in motion — and with one click, you can apply that clarity to your work.
To learn more, see the full documentation on the Rotate animation effect here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/rotate/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.