In molecular modeling presentations, showing how atoms move from one place to another can be just as important as the final result. Whether you’re simulating docking, rearranging atoms manually, or animating structural changes, being able to capture these transitions can help clarify complex mechanisms. However, one common challenge for modelers is preserving these trajectories clearly and consistently—especially when you need to integrate multiple animations. This is where the Record path animation in SAMSON can save time and effort.⚛️
Record path creates a visual trail of how atoms move during your presentation. It doesn’t animate atoms by itself, but instead tracks their motion caused by other animations (such as Assemble, Dock, Move Atoms, or Simulate). This lets you overlay motion with clarity and even rewind or export the movement as a distinct path.
Visual Feedback While Recording
Once added from the Animation panel, the Record path animation shows color-coded segments to help you monitor recording progress:
- Green indicates successful position recording at a frame.
- Red means positions are either missing or invalid—perhaps the animation order is incorrect.
Troubleshooting Tip: Animation Order Matters
A common mistake is placing the Record path animation before the actual movement animations in the Animator panel. Since the animator executes from top to bottom, recording needs to come after the effects that produce motion. You can always adjust this ordering and keyframes later.
Improving Performance During Complex Setups
If you’re working with many atoms or combining different animations, keep in mind that real-time path recording can impact performance. To manage this:
- Temporarily disable recording from the animation’s Inspector.
- Or right-click the animation in the Animator panel and toggle Enable recording.
This allows you to fine-tune your animation setup, and only enable recording once you’re ready to capture the path.
Exporting the Path for Presentations or Further Analysis
After you’ve recorded the movement (and the animation is fully green), you can export it as a separate Path node in your model. This is useful to:
- Show recorded movement clearly in presentations.
- Use it later with Play path or Play reverse path.
To export the path:
- Click Create path in the animation’s Inspector, or
- Right-click the Record path animation in the Animator and choose Create path.
By separating motion from tracking, SAMSON gives you control, clarity, and flexibility—essential for communicating complex molecular interactions in meaningful ways.
To learn more about using Record path, visit the official documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/record-path/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.