If you’re working on molecular animations and tired of manually rebuilding scenes for every step, you’re not alone. Many molecular modelers struggle with creating smooth, reproducible animations that clearly communicate structural transformations or molecular motions over time. One recurring pain: setting up consistent, clean transitions when repositioning atoms — especially when it comes to synchronizing multiple elements in an ensemble.
The Move atoms animation in SAMSON offers a practical solution through a keyframe-based animation workflow. Instead of redefining entire molecular scenes again and again, you can interpolate atom positions smoothly between different states using keyframes. This allows you to focus on the science, not on tedious scene editing.
Why keyframes matter
Keyframes define snapshots of your system at specific points in time. SAMSON’s Animator lets you insert a keyframe at the beginning of a motion, move atoms using either Move editors or direct manipulation, then add another keyframe at the endpoint. SAMSON will interpolate the transition, creating a fluid animation without manual repositioning frame-by-frame.
This method is particularly useful for animating conformational changes, nanostructure transformations, or scheduled motions like molecular opening/closing mechanisms.
How to get started
To begin, select the atoms you want to animate. Then open the Animator and double-click Move atoms from the Animation panel. This adds the initial keyframe.
Click on the animation track at a later frame, move the atoms to their next destination, and another keyframe will automatically guide the interpolation. Throughout this process, you can:
- Adjust positions using SAMSON’s Move editors
- Use snapping for controlled steps
- Modify or rearrange keyframes freely
Customizing the motion
To fine-tune how atoms move, you can adjust the Easing curve or toggle smoothing to make transitions more natural or mechanical depending on what your animation represents.
Keeping control over the workspace
Sometimes you might prefer different manipulation tools. You can hide the Move atoms controllers entirely via the Document view and manipulate atoms using alternate editors like the Twister editor. After repositioning, simply add a new keyframe, and the animation will handle the rest.
Efficiency in presentations
When preparing molecular animations for presentations or educational content, using keyframes simplifies adjustments. Want to shorten an opening transition? Just move the ending keyframe earlier on the timeline. Every change keeps your animation consistent and avoids repetitive manual work.
This flexibility saves time and ensures smoother transitions in animations, particularly helpful when working with complex structures like nanotubes or protein assemblies.
Explore More
To learn more, visit the official SAMSON documentation here: Move atoms animation – SAMSON Documentation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.