When presenting molecular designs or creating educational content, timing and visibility can make a big difference. Instead of overwhelming viewers with full molecular structures displayed at once, imagine revealing atoms and bonds gradually—highlighting the assembly or focus of a system in a smooth and visually clear way. The Reveal atoms animation in SAMSON helps you do exactly that: show atoms and the bonds between them progressively over time.
This feature is especially helpful when:
- You want to guide attention to particular molecular groups or regions as they emerge.
- You’re building a teaching animation that explains how atoms form a molecule.
- You need to create step-by-step reconstructions or presentations of molecular events.
What the Reveal Atoms Animation Does
Unlike transparency-based effects, the Reveal atoms animation actually toggles the visibility of atoms and bonds. This is a subtle yet important distinction: atoms aren’t just faded in—they’re presented cleanly, without visual ghosting, making it easier to follow the buildup.
This animation uses four keyframes to control what your audience sees:
- Keyframes 1 to 2: Atoms and bonds in the selection are completely hidden.
- Keyframes 2 to 3: The selected atoms (and respective bonds) are progressively revealed, one after the other, based on their order in your selection.
- Keyframes 3 to 4: All selected atoms and bonds are fully visible.
You have full control over the timing of the transition. Want the reveal to start a bit later? Simply shift the keyframes. Want part of the reveal to go faster or slower? Modify the easing curve to adjust the motion dynamics.
How To Add and Use It
- Select the atoms and bonds you want to show gradually.
- In the Animation panel, double-click the Reveal atoms effect.
- Adjust the four keyframes in the timeline for the timing you want.
That’s it. With only a few clicks, your atoms will elegantly emerge in your animation, allowing viewers to follow the structure more clearly.
Who Is This For?
It’s especially practical if:
- You’re a researcher building presentations for academic collaboration or publication.
- You create learning material for chemistry, biophysics, or molecular biology courses.
- You develop scientific outreach content for a general audience, where clarity and flow matter.
To explore this animation effect in more detail, including related options like Conceal atoms, visit the official documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/reveal-atoms/.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON here.