Creating dynamic molecular presentations can often feel overwhelming—especially for researchers who want to communicate complex transitions in a molecule over time. Whether you’re teaching, presenting a concept, or showcasing a simulation result, having the ability to animate atom positions clearly can go a long way. That’s where the Move atoms animation in SAMSON can help. It’s a simple yet effective way to interpolate motion between atom positions without needing expert animation skills.
The Move atoms effect allows users to move selected atoms between two keyframes, and the platform takes care of interpolating the movement. This creates smooth, continuous motion, making dynamic molecular behavior much easier to communicate.
Why Animate Individual Atoms?
Molecular modelers often want to illustrate conformational changes, simulate nano-assembly processes, or explain a concept such as ligand migration. Static images or step-by-step frames can fall short when trying to capture dynamic movement. Using simple animations adds clarity and helps others see what’s happening at a molecular scale.
How It Works in SAMSON
To start, position and select the atoms you want to animate.
- Open the Animation panel in the Animator.
- Double-click the Move atoms effect to insert the first keyframe.
- Go to a later frame on the animation track.
- Use the interactive controllers to move the atoms to their new positions.
- Click to create a second keyframe—SAMSON will interpolate movement in between.
The intuitive controllers included in the Move atoms effect behave similarly to Move editors. Snapping options are also available for fine-tuning translations and rotations.
Adding Complexity: Combine and Control
If you want more control or wish to apply transformations with a specific editor (like the Twister), SAMSON allows you to temporarily hide Move atoms controllers from the Document view. You can then use any other editor to position atoms and return to the Select tool after creating a keyframe.
Want to tweak the animation flow? You can adjust easing curves and turn smoothing on or off using the Inspector. This provides precise control over motion sensitivity between frames.
Fine-Tuning and Clean-Up
At any point, you can reposition existing keyframes to adjust timing. To delete a keyframe, just right-click on it in the Animator’s Track view and select Remove keyframe.
In Case You’re Wondering: Real Examples
There are already several examples on SAMSON Connect showcasing animations created with the Move atoms tool. For instance:
If you’re working on nanoscale dynamics or conformational transitions, these examples may offer useful inspiration for how you might apply the Move atoms animation in your own projects.
To learn more about this feature in detail, visit the original documentation page here.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download the platform at https://www.samson-connect.net.