Molecular animations are a central part of communicating molecular behavior, structure, and dynamics. Whether you’re preparing a scientific presentation, an educational video, or simply making your simulations more engaging, having clear visual tools to illustrate your data can help others grasp complex molecular phenomena faster.
One challenge that many molecular modelers face is making their molecular systems come alive during presentations—beyond static images or basic rotational views. One subtle but effective solution is to add a rocking animation to molecules to give viewers a better spatial understanding of molecular shapes and distributions. This is where the Rock animation in SAMSON can help.
What is the Rock Animation?
The Rock animation causes a selected group of particles to oscillate—gently—about their geometric center. This kind of movement helps give depth and perspective to molecular models, improving perception of 3D structure.
More precisely, the rocking motion is performed around a vector passing through the centroid of the selected particle group and aligned with the Z-axis. This creates a compelling visual effect—similar to a slight nodding—that can be very useful when highlighting a specific region in a molecule or for better orientation in space.
Adding the Animation
Here’s how you can quickly apply this animation in your SAMSON project:
- Select a group of particles you want to apply the effect to. You can use SAMSON’s powerful selection tool to quickly isolate residues, functional domains, or entire molecules.
- Open the Animator and double-click the Rock effect from the Animation panel.
- The animation will be added between two keyframes. Adjust the keyframes to control timing and duration. You can also customize the easing behavior to modify how smooth or abrupt the movement is.
Here is what the effect looks like in action:
When to Use Rocking
- Visual emphasis: Want to draw someone’s attention to a specific domain? A subtle rocking motion can help without overwhelming the viewer.
- Depth perception: 3D structures can be deceptive when seen from a fixed perspective. Rocking helps viewers discern volume and shape more intuitively.
- Presentation clarity: Add motion selectively to key parts of your scene rather than rotating the whole system, helping you focus your narrative.
Customize the Experience
SAMSON allows you to tailor the rock animation using an easing curve. This determines how parameters interpolate between frames—making transitions smooth or sharp, depending on your needs.
Real Example
If you want to see the rock animation applied in a real context, check out this molecule of interest in SAMSON Connect:
Used thoughtfully, the Rock animation can become one of your favorite tools for preparing clear and elegant molecular visualizations. It’s simple to use, yet provides high-impact results for presentations and documentation alike.
To learn more about the Rock animation, visit the official documentation here.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.