Molecular modelers often face a familiar challenge: when working with intricate biomolecular assemblies or complex nanostructures, the sheer density of information in the model can make it hard to analyze or present specific parts. Whether you’re preparing a presentation, studying subunit interactions, or debugging a structural hypothesis, sometimes what you need is to quickly break things apart—visually.
The Disassemble animation in SAMSON was designed with that exact purpose in mind. With just a few clicks, you can create a dynamic visual that spreads selected components of your model away from their native positions. This unobstructive way of making sense of molecular complexity can be useful for note-taking, teaching, or creating intuitive presentations and movies.
What It Does
The Disassemble animation creates a visual effect where selected nodes or meshes are moved away from their original positions. The final positions are automatically computed, and you can control how far apart things move by adjusting an amplitude parameter. This makes it useful for visually separating structural subunits without modifying your structure itself.
Here’s a quick visual example of the animation in action:
How to Use It
- Select a group of structured nodes or meshes that you want to separate. If no selection is made, SAMSON will try to guess what to act on.
- In the Animation panel within the Animator, double-click on the Disassemble effect.
- The animation is applied over two keyframes by default. You can fine-tune the start and end frames by adjusting these keyframes in the timeline.
- If needed, open the Inspector to customize the amplitude—that is, how far the components move. A larger amplitude means more visual separation.
- Want it smoother or punchier? Modify the Easing curve to adjust the interpolation style.
Note: Although some older tutorials or examples may refer to an “Animation menu,” that menu is no longer part of SAMSON. All animation features are now accessible directly via the Animator panel.
Why It’s Helpful
Animations like this help turn abstract models into comprehensible visuals. Instead of interpreting overlapping atoms and tangled helices, viewers can see individual parts spaced out clearly. Whether teaching, presenting to a non-expert audience, or simply trying to understand a model better, the Disassemble animation offers a quick, elegant solution.
For example, the following presentations make use of similar animations for clarity:
Try It Out
If you frequently struggle with crowded visuals or need to explain spatial relationships within a molecular system, the Disassemble animation may be the simple, visual fix you’ve been looking for.
Learn more: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/disassemble/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON here: https://www.samson-connect.net