Animations are a powerful way to communicate complex molecular mechanisms, transitions, or states. But if you’ve ever struggled to control when specific parts of your molecular model appear in a presentation or animation — you’re not alone. Molecular modelers often need to manage visibility with precision, especially in time-sensitive sequences. The Show animation in SAMSON provides a practical solution for this.
Whether you’re creating educational videos, highlighting results from your simulations, or presenting a molecular process like ligand binding, managing when components become visible can dramatically influence clarity. That’s exactly where the Show animation shines: it allows selected nodes (e.g., molecules, components, structures) to appear precisely at a given keyframe and remain visible until the end of the animation.
What the Show Animation Does
The Show animation toggles the visibility (not transparency) of nodes. Think of it as a combination of two operations you might otherwise perform manually: hiding the node initially, then revealing it with a shown animation. Show integrates both steps for smoother workflows.
It’s especially useful for:
- Progressive assembly of molecular machines or complexes
- Highlighting how different parts of a system are recruited during a simulation
- Step-by-step educational videos that require controlled unfolding of molecular structures
How It Works
This animation effect has a simple but effective three-keyframe mechanism:
- Keyframe 1 to Keyframe 2: selected nodes remain hidden
- Keyframe 2: the selected nodes appear
- Keyframe 2 to Keyframe 3: the nodes remain visible
It’s very easy to adjust when exactly these transitions happen by moving the keyframes in the Animator panel. You can always fine-tune using easing curves for smooth transitions, ensuring your visualization matches the pace and tone you want to convey.
Adding the Show Animation
Here’s how:
- Select the nodes you want to reveal later in your animation.
- In the Animation panel, located in the Animator, double-click on the Show animation effect.
- Adjust the timing by dragging the keyframes as necessary for your presentation.
Compared to adjusting visibility manually, this method is quicker and ensures consistency across your animations.
This example shows a scenario where molecular elements become visible mid-animation, emphasizing developmental stages or triggered events. It’s particularly helpful in visually splitting complex data into digestible steps.
To learn more and explore additional animation types — like Flash or Disappear — you can visit the original documentation page here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/show/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download the platform at https://www.samson-connect.net.