A molecular animation can show a molecule moving, assembling, or responding to a simulation—but a visual sequence is not automatically a reusable path. When you need to retain the atoms’ changing positions as a path, the important step is to record those positions while the presentation runs. SAMSON’s Record path animation is designed for that job.
This is especially useful when several animations contribute to the motion. For example, an animation that moves atoms and another that docks or assembles them can create a combined result. Recording the path lets you capture the resulting atomic trajectories rather than relying on the animation alone.
Put the recorder after the motion
Add Record path from the Animation panel in the Animator by double-clicking its effect. Its keyframe is placed at the current frame, and you can move that keyframe if needed.
One ordering detail matters: the Animator executes animations from top to bottom. Place Record path after the animations whose positions you want to capture. If the recorder comes before them, it will not be in the right position in the sequence to record their resulting motion. Think of it as a final capture step in the animation stack.
Use the track colors as a progress check
The track provides a practical way to see whether recording is complete. At a given frame, a green segment means positions have been recorded. A red segment means positions have not yet been recorded or have become invalid. So if you are preparing a path for later use, do not assume that adding the animation is enough: play the presentation and check that the track is fully green.
If parts of the track remain red, use that visual feedback to identify that the path is incomplete or invalid before creating the Path node. The documentation does not prescribe a single cause for every red segment, so check the presentation’s playback and the recorder’s placement in the animation order rather than treating the color as a diagnosis of a specific problem.
A simple capture workflow
- Set up the animations that produce the atomic motion you want to retain.
- Add Record path and place it after those animations in the Animator.
- Play the presentation so the positions are recorded across the animation.
- Check the track: green indicates recorded positions; red indicates positions that are unrecorded or invalid.
- Once the track is fully green, create the corresponding Path node.
You can create the Path node in either of two places: click Create path in the Record path animation’s Inspector, or right-click the animation in the Animator and choose Create path.
Keep recording on only when you need it
Recording can be enabled or disabled in the animation’s Inspector, or by right-clicking the animation in the Animator and changing Enable recording. The documentation notes that disabling recording can help performance—for example, while you are still working on the presentation, or after the path has been recorded and will not change. When recording is disabled, the animation controllers are darkened.
This gives you a useful distinction in your workflow: first refine the presentation, then enable recording for the capture pass, and disable it again when you no longer need to update the path. You can also move the animation’s keyframes if the timing needs adjustment.
In short: order the recorder after the motion-producing animations, play the presentation, verify the green track, and only then create the Path node. For details, see the Record path documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.