Learning a molecular modeling application often involves a familiar challenge: you can read about a workflow, but still feel unsure when it is time to carry it out. Which interface area should you use? What should happen next? And how can you practice without turning a simple task into a search through multiple help pages?
SAMSON’s interactive tutorials address this gap by guiding you through a task directly inside the application. They are useful when you want to move from understanding the interface to practicing a concrete workflow, one step at a time.
Choose practice when you have a task in mind
A tutorial is most useful when it connects to something you want to do. If you are still getting oriented, start with First look: the interface so the main interface areas are familiar. Then, once you have explored Moving around and Loading molecules, choose an interactive tutorial for guided practice.
You do not need to complete every tutorial as part of a fixed sequence. They are optional: try one when its workflow matches your current learning goal, or return to the tutorial list later. This makes tutorials easier to fit around the work you are actually doing, rather than treating onboarding as a checklist.
Start inside the application
To launch a tutorial, open Help > Tutorials, select a tutorial, and click Start tutorial. The guidance appears in the application, so you can follow along while working with SAMSON instead of switching continually between the software and a separate set of written instructions.
Before you begin, it can help to name the task you want to learn in a sentence: for example, “I want to understand this workflow well enough to repeat it.” Keep that goal in mind as you follow the tutorial. The point is not simply to reach the end of the guided steps; it is to notice how those steps connect and what you would need to do again next time.
Turn a guided walkthrough into a reusable skill
When you finish, try to repeat the demonstrated workflow without relying on the tutorial window. If you cannot remember a step, that is useful information: you have found the part to practice again or the guide page to consult. This simple check helps distinguish between having followed instructions once and being ready to perform the task independently.
If you need to stop, close the tutorial tip window in the top-right corner of the Viewport. You can restart the tutorial from scratch at any time through Help > Tutorials. Restarting is a practical way to revisit the workflow after a break or to practice it again with more attention to the steps that were unclear.
Pick the right kind of help
Interactive tutorials are designed for guided practice inside SAMSON. If you want to work with your own structures next, continue with Loading molecules. If you have questions or need help with commands, selections, or scripts, explore SAMSON AI. For tutorials about extensions, the documentation points to SAMSON Extensions Tutorials.
A useful learning loop is straightforward: get oriented, choose a workflow, follow it in the application, then try it again without the guide. Return to tutorials when a new task calls for guided practice.
Learn more in the Interactive tutorials documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON at www.samson-connect.net.