When preparing molecular animations to illustrate a process or highlight structural changes, visuals matter. A lot. One often overlooked, yet powerful, element for bringing clarity and focus to molecular presentations is the background.
Many molecular modelers still rely on static or jarring transitions between scenes when showcasing their work to colleagues or students. However, with SAMSON’s Set background animation, you can create cleaner, more intuitive visual flows that guide the viewer’s attention without distractions.
Why background transitions matter
Traditional molecular animations focus on atom movements, protein folding, or docking simulations—but background changes can help significantly in structuring a presentation. Whether you’re going from a dark image to a light one to emphasize a detail, or displaying a relevant slide as a contextual background, gradual transitions between backgrounds can elevate the clarity of your animations.
This is especially useful in the following cases:
- Presenting a sequence of steps in a modeling or simulation workflow
- Switching between different visualization styles or levels of zoom
- Introducing a concept visually using background slides or illustrations
How SAMSON approaches it
SAMSON includes a specific animation effect called Set background, which allows you to define different backgrounds at different points in a presentation. The platform automatically interpolates between them—producing a continuous and smooth transition between background states.
This means you can start your presentation on a black background, introduce a molecule floating in space, then gracefully transition to a light background with, for example, an educational slide or image. No cuts, no surprises—just helpful transitions.
How to use it
- Open the Animation panel inside the SAMSON Animator.
- Double-click the Set background effect. This adds a keyframe at your current frame.
- Adjust the effect’s duration by adding a second keyframe later in the timeline.
The background set at the first keyframe will remain visible until the second keyframe. If you place another Set background later in the timeline, SAMSON will interpolate automatically between them using your choice of easing curve (linear, ease-in-out, etc.), which can be edited in the Inspector.
Cover or contain: how your image fills the scene
When using an image as a background, you can decide whether you want the image to fully cover the viewer or be contained within it. If you choose cover, expect parts of the largest side to be cropped; if you choose contain, your image will be fully visible but might not fill the entire scene.
Pro-tip: Make use of visual context
Think of Set background as your tool to provide visual anchors. You can reinforce what you’re explaining by showing diagrams behind your 3D structures, or fade to a lighter background to focus on specific areas. SAMSON helps you do that cleanly and reproducibly.
To learn more, visit the official Set background animation documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.