In scientific animations, clarity of communication is crucial — especially when you’re trying to explain molecular structures, transitions, or reaction mechanisms. One challenge that often comes up in molecular modeling is how to control the appearance of specific molecular elements over time, without manually toggling their visibility keyframe by keyframe.
This is where the Show animation in SAMSON can make a real difference. It’s a simple yet useful animation effect that introduces selected nodes (such as atoms, molecules, or groups) into view at a chosen point in your timeline and keeps them visible until the end. You don’t have to combine multiple effects or micromanage transparency — visibility is automatically handled from the moment the nodes appear.
Why it matters
Let’s say you’re preparing an animation that demonstrates the gradual assembly of a protein complex. You might want certain components to remain hidden while discussing earlier steps, and then appear clearly at the appropriate moment to emphasize their role. The Show animation becomes very valuable here because it gives you this control in just a few clicks. It avoids clutter and keeps the focus on what matters at each point in your presentation.
How to use the Show animation
Using the Show animation is simple:
- Select the nodes (atoms, molecules, etc.) that you want to make visible later in your animation.
- Open the Animator in SAMSON and double-click the Show animation from the Animation panel.
Once added, the animation will have three keyframes:
- Keyframes 1 to 2: The selected nodes remain hidden.
- Keyframe 2: The nodes appear and become visible.
- Keyframes 2 to 3: The nodes stay visible until the end.
You can reposition the keyframes to fine-tune the timing of the appearance. This flexibility allows you to coordinate precisely when molecular components show up in your animation, ensuring maximum clarity and audience engagement.
Tips
- Use the easing curve to make the transition smoother if you’re combining appearance with motion or other visual effects.
- If you’re replacing older animations created using the Animation menu, note that you now access all effects via the Animation panel in the Animator.
Example in action
Check out the example below, showing how the Show animation makes molecules appear exactly when needed — keeping them hidden until the right moment and then visible throughout the rest of the sequence:
By mastering this small but useful feature, you’ll make your animations more effective and your molecular presentations more understandable — whether you’re sharing with a research group or explaining mechanisms in the classroom.
To learn more, visit the official documentation page for the Show animation: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/show/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net