Learning a molecular modeling application can feel like a choice between two imperfect options: read documentation while trying to remember where everything is, or explore the interface and hope each click makes sense. Interactive tutorials offer a third route: guided practice inside SAMSON, where you can work through a task in the application rather than only read about it.
This is useful when your real challenge is not simply finding a feature, but building enough familiarity to repeat a workflow later. A tutorial can help turn a sequence of unfamiliar actions into something you have practiced yourself.
Start with the interface, then practice a task
If you are new to SAMSON, first get oriented with the main interface areas. The First look: the interface page is a helpful starting point. Once you have a basic sense of where things are, an interactive tutorial can make the next step more concrete: practicing a particular workflow inside the application.
You do not need to complete every tutorial as part of onboarding. They are optional, and it is reasonable to wait until a tutorial matches something you want to do. For example, you might first learn to move around the interface and load a molecule, then return to the tutorials when you are ready for guided practice. The pages on Moving around and Loading molecules cover those earlier steps.
Launch a tutorial when you have time to practice
To start one, open Help > Tutorials, choose a tutorial, and click Start tutorial. A useful way to approach the session is to focus on understanding the task rather than trying to memorize every instruction. Notice which parts of the interface are involved and what the workflow is trying to help you accomplish.
If you are working toward a specific modeling task, choose a tutorial when its subject is relevant. That makes the practice easier to connect to a real need, instead of treating tutorials as a checklist to finish. If none of the available tutorials fits what you are doing right now, you can skip them and return later.
Make the learning stick
When you finish, the practical test is simple: can you repeat the demonstrated workflow without the tutorial window, or do you know which guide page to consult for the task? If not, that is not a reason to rush through another tutorial. Restarting the same one from the beginning gives you another opportunity to practice with more context than you had the first time.
You can stop an interactive tutorial by closing its tip window in the top-right corner of the Viewport. If you want to try it again, return to Help > Tutorials and restart it from scratch. This makes it easier to pause when you need to focus on your model, and to come back when you are ready to practice again.
Choose the kind of help that fits the question
Interactive tutorials are most useful for guided practice through a workflow. For a different kind of help, SAMSON AI can assist with questions, commands, selections, or scripts. If your goal is to explore a SAMSON Extension, the relevant learning resources are the SAMSON Extensions Tutorials.
The key is to treat learning as part of the modeling process: get oriented, practice a task when it becomes relevant, and return to the guide when you need a refresher. For the full steps on launching, stopping, and restarting tutorials, learn more in the interactive tutorials documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.