For molecular modelers creating animations of dynamic systems, crafting smooth transitions between molecular conformations can be both a creative challenge and a technical hurdle. Whether you’re building an educational presentation or illustrating molecular events for a publication, precisely positioning atoms at specific frames is essential to telling a clear story. That’s where keyframes come in—and in SAMSON, how you manage them can greatly affect your animation quality.
This post will guide you through the process of adding and editing keyframes when animating atoms using the Move atoms animation effect in the SAMSON Animator panel. By understanding how to accurately control movement using keyframes, you’ll be able to produce meaningful molecular animations with greater control and clarity.
What are keyframes?
Keyframes are snapshots of a specific molecular configuration at a specific time point in an animation. SAMSON automatically interpolates positions between two keyframes so that atoms move gradually from one spatial configuration to another. This makes molecular transformations appear fluid and intentional.
How to add a keyframe
Once you’ve applied the Move atoms animation to a group of atoms, adding keyframes is straightforward:
- Click anywhere in the animation track where you’d like to insert a new keyframe.
- Move the atoms to their desired new positions using animation controllers or other available editors.
- This new configuration will automatically be stored as a keyframe at that time point in the animation.
Tweak motion with ease
If you’re not satisfied with the result, keyframes can be readjusted:
- Drag keyframes along the timeline to change timing.
- Use the Inspector to modify interpolation curves for smoother transitions.
- Disable the Move atoms animation controllers if you’d prefer to adjust geometries using alternative editors like the Twister or one of the Move Editors.
Removing keyframes
To avoid clutter or correct a mistake:
- Right-click on any keyframe in the Animator’s Track view
- Select Remove keyframe to delete it
Practical example: visualizing molecular conformational change
Let’s say you’re illustrating a nanotube transition during a simulated reaction. By setting a keyframe at the initial conformation, manually adjusting the atomic layout at a later time point, and applying the Move atoms animation, your system will smoothly interpolate between the two states — no script writing or frame-by-frame adjustments needed. This is ideal for presentations or recorded media that aim to communicate complex rearrangements with clarity.
More resources
If you’re curious to explore real-world examples built with this method, check out sample documents on the SAMSON Connect website, such as:
Understanding and mastering keyframes not only simplifies your workflow but also significantly improves how your audience perceives your molecular animations. Want to dig deeper into how the Move atoms animation works in SAMSON? Click here to read the full documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.