Creating compelling molecular presentations can be surprisingly challenging—even for experienced modelers. A common issue arises when trying to showcase structural dynamics or orientation within a molecular system. While static models provide structural information, they often fail to communicate spatial relationships or conformational changes clearly.
This is where SAMSON’s Rotate animation comes into play. If you’re preparing a presentation, a pitch, or even just trying to understand a molecular system better, rotating your selected group of particles can make a big difference. The Rotate animation creates a smooth 3D spin around the geometric center of your selection, which greatly enhances visual clarity and depth.
Why Rotation Matters 🧬
Imagine you’re modeling a protein-ligand complex and want to emphasize a binding pocket hidden from a default view. Orbiting the complex around its center allows all sides to be visualized without the viewer manipulating the scene themselves. This makes your model more accessible to broader audiences—students, colleagues, or non-specialists—without needing to explain technical controls.
Another use case: rotating molecular clusters to compare distinct domains or to emphasize symmetry. This is especially helpful when exporting animations as videos for publications, presentations, or social media.
How It Works
The Rotate animation rotates a selected group of atoms around their centroid. By default, the rotation is done around a vector that is collinear with the Z-axis, which passes through the geometric center of the selection.
To create the rotation:
- Select the group of particles you want to rotate.
- Open the Animation panel inside the Animator.
- Double-click Rotate to apply the animation.
SAMSON treats the rotation as a tween between two keyframes. You can move these keyframes along the timeline to adjust how quickly or slowly the rotation occurs.
Preserving Control with Easing Curves
If you want to fine-tune how movement progresses over time—for example, to create a smooth start and stop—head to the Easing curve settings. This gives you control over acceleration and deceleration, helping you create more natural or stylized motions.
Notes and Interface Updates
The Rotate animation is now accessible exclusively through the Animator’s Animation panel. Older demonstrations may refer to an “Animation menu,” which no longer exists. Use the updated interface under Animator > Animation panel for the current workflow.
Bonus: Combine with Other Effects
Make your presentation even more informative by combining Rotate with other animations like Rock or Move atoms. These effects can help build layered animations where different parts of a model convey different types of movement or interaction.
Using animations like Rotate is a great way to transform complex molecular data into stories that move—literally and figuratively. It makes your molecular modeling more expressive, educational, and visually rich.
To learn more about the Rotate animation, check out the full documentation here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/rotate/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.