Visualizing molecular structures is fundamental to communicating and understanding complex molecular behavior. However, making static 3D models engaging and clear is not always easy. Molecular modelers, educators, and researchers alike know the struggle: how do you highlight a particular group of atoms effectively without overwhelming the viewer? One small but effective solution in SAMSON is the Rock animation effect.
The Rock animation allows you to make a selected group of atoms gently rock back and forth around their centroid, using a movement aligned with the Z-axis. This subtle oscillation provides just enough motion to draw attention without disrupting the rest of your molecular scene. It’s especially useful for distinguishing important residues, domains, active sites, or binding pockets in a clear and intuitive way.
When Should You Use the Rock Animation?
Here are a few typical use cases for this animation in molecular modeling workflows:
- Educational presentations: Highlight a ligand binding site or significant conformational feature to guide students’ attention without the need for verbal pointers.
- Research communication: Visually isolate the dynamic behavior of a complex without overwhelming animations that affect the entire structure.
- Collaborations: Share scenes with colleagues in which key atoms or residues oscillate to indicate functional relevance.
How to Set It Up
Applying the Rock animation in SAMSON is straightforward and integrates well with existing workflows in the Animator panel:
- Select the group of atoms or particles you want to apply the effect to.
- In the Animation panel, find and double-click the Rock animation effect.
- Two keyframes will be inserted automatically. The movement will occur between these. You can reposition the keyframes on the timeline to define duration and timing.
Customization Options
The degree of movement and how it changes over time can be adjusted by modifying the easing curve. This is valuable for syncing animation timing with voice-over narrations or other animated effects, especially in educational content or video presentations.
Where to See It in Action
If you’d like to see examples of the Rock animation applied in real-world files hosted on SAMSON Connect, explore the following link:
Small Motion, Clear Focus
The advantage of Rock over other animations like Rotate or Move atoms, is its minimalistic nature. It doesn’t disrupt the main molecular scene. Instead, it gently nudges the audience’s eye to where it matters — perfect for detailed content where clarity is critical.
To learn more and explore the full documentation, visit the official page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/rock/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.