When working with complex molecular systems, creating compelling and informative visualizations can make interpretation much easier—both for you and for your audience. One common challenge for molecular modelers is how to depict crowded molecular environments in a way that emphasizes specific components, interactions, or transformations.
In SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, the Disassemble animation is designed to tackle precisely this issue. Whether you’re preparing a presentation, recording a video tutorial, or simply trying to better understand an assembly, the Disassemble animation separates selected parts of a structure for clearer visualization—all without permanently altering your model.
Why Use the Disassemble Animation?
Crowded molecular scenes—assemblies, complexes, overlapping chains, or protein-ligand systems—can obscure the relationships you’re trying to highlight. Disassembling the molecules spatially lets you show component parts individually, making it easier to communicate structure, function, or interactions.
For instructors, this can be especially effective. You can go from a tangled scene to a clean, step-by-step unveiling of the molecular components. For modelers analyzing dynamic assemblies or designing multi-part systems, the Disassemble animation allows visual “dissection” of the structure between keyframes.
How It Works
To apply the Disassemble effect in SAMSON:
- Select the group of structural nodes or meshes you want to disassemble. (If nothing is selected, SAMSON will try to guess what should be animated.)
- Open the Animation panel from the Animator interface.
- Double-click on Disassemble in the list of effects.
The selected components will then move apart between the defined keyframes.
SAMSON automatically computes the displacement vectors to position the selected elements away from each other. However, you remain in control: you can edit the keyframes, adjust the timing, and fine-tune the amplitude and easing curve of the animation in the Inspector.
Fine-Tuning for Clarity
The Inspector lets you change how far the elements move apart—this changes the amplitude of the disassembly. Additionally, you can experiment with the Easing curve to make transitions more natural or mechanical, depending on what effect you’re aiming for.
Since the animation is based on keyframes, you can combine Disassemble with other animation effects like Assemble or Move Atoms for more complex presentations.
Use Cases
- Demonstrating how complex assemblies are structured.
- Comparing binding site geometry before and after ligand binding.
- Presenting publication figures or educational videos where clarity is essential.
The Disassemble animation is a simple yet valuable tool to help molecular modelers, instructors, and students communicate structural information more effectively.
To learn more or see other related animations, visit the original documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/disassemble/.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.