When preparing animations of molecular systems, one common challenge is smoothly revealing the components of a model to highlight transformations, interactions, or structural relationships. Molecular modelers often need to control how and when elements appear during visualizations to maintain clarity and effectively communicate scientific information.
The Show animation in SAMSON addresses this need by providing an intuitive way to reveal selected nodes precisely when needed. It eliminates the awkward step of combining separate visibility controls or toggling transparency to simulate appearance. Instead, the Show animation introduces chosen parts of your molecular system—atoms, residues, groups, or whole structures—at a specific keyframe and keeps them visible thereafter.
Why this matters
If you’re preparing a structural bioinformatics presentation, creating educational content, or building a publication figure or video, keeping the viewer focused is essential. Abruptly showing everything at once can be overwhelming, while gradually revealing components draws attention and makes interactions clearer.
The Show animation makes it easier to:
- Reveal a ligand just before its binding interaction.
- Display secondary structure features step by step in teaching videos.
- Build up large macromolecular complexes progressively.
How to add the Show animation
To begin, select the nodes you want to reveal in your scene.
Then open the Animation panel in the Animator and double-click on the Show animation effect.
This animation uses 3 keyframes:
- Between keyframes 1 and 2: nodes are hidden.
- At keyframe 2: nodes appear.
- Between keyframes 2 and 3: nodes remain visible.
The magic lies in this structured timing: it gives you visual control while maintaining simplicity.
Tips for refining the look
You can fine-tune how the animation feels using the Easing curve, adjusting how fast or slow the appearance occurs over time.
Also, note that all animations can have their keyframes repositioned freely. Want something to appear a little earlier or later? Just drag the keyframe to adjust.
Keep in mind
The original documentation video referred to an older Animation menu that no longer exists. Now, all animations are accessible from the Animation panel in the updated Animator interface, offering improved workflow and control.
To explore related effects, you might also check out the Hide, Appear, Disappear, and Pulse animations for different visibility dynamics.
Learn more in the official documentation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at www.samson-connect.net.