For molecular modelers, creating accurate and visually compelling animations often requires precise control over particle movements. But what if you need certain atoms to remain fixed in position while the surroundings are animated? That’s where SAMSON’s Hold atoms animation can be incredibly useful. In this blog post, we’ll explore how this feature can help you lock atom positions between keyframes and enhance your molecular presentations effectively.
Why Fix Atoms?
Maintaining fixed atom positions in animations can solve multiple challenges in molecular visualization. Whether you’re demonstrating docking, assembly, or any other process, preserving the position of a specific atom or group of atoms helps maintain clarity and scientific accuracy. This comes in handy when you want to focus on dynamic changes around a stabilizing structure or visualize environmental influences without altering the core molecular framework.
Adding the Hold Atoms Effect
With SAMSON, applying the Hold atoms animation is straightforward. Here’s how you can use it step by step:
- Select particles: First, select the group of particles that need to be held at fixed positions between two frames. This step allows you to pinpoint elements that will act as anchors in your animation.
- Activate the Hold atoms effect: Double-click on the Hold atoms animation in the Animation panel of the Animator. This activates the effect and a corresponding keyframe will be created for the selected particles.
- Adjust keyframes: To customize your animation, move the keyframes along the timeline as necessary. This allows you to synchronize changes in the molecular structure with your fixed particles for optimal presentation.
Pro Tips
Note
Keyframes for animations in SAMSON are highly flexible — you can reposition and fine-tune them anytime to best match your presentation needs. Iteration is key to blending fixed and moving particles in a meaningful and visually clear way.
Example in Action
To better understand how the Hold atoms animation works, check out this example showcasing the combined use of Move atoms and Hold atoms:
In this animation, specific particles remain firmly in place, while the surrounding particles undergo meaningful changes. This combination highlights the utility of preserving atomic positions for particular molecular visualization needs.
Explore Examples and Resources
If you’re curious to see examples of animations that leverage this feature, visit SAMSON Connect – Documents. Here you’ll find detailed practical use cases such as:
Learn more about how to use the Hold atoms animation by visiting the full documentation at SAMSON Connect – Hold atoms.
*Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get the platform at SAMSON Connect.