When you are in the middle of molecular modeling, a long webinar can feel like another task on the to-do list. You may only need to answer one practical question: how do I inspect a structure, select the right atoms, align proteins, or communicate a protein–ligand interaction? Fortunately, the SAMSON webinar recordings are divided into timestamped chapters, so you can go directly to the topic that matches the problem in front of you.
Here is a focused way to use the SAMSON 2025 recording: treat it as a set of short demonstrations rather than a video you have to watch from beginning to end. Choose a chapter, watch for the specific action or idea you need, and return to the recording later if another task comes up.
Start with the task, not the beginning
If you need to inspect a structure: jump to 7:27, Progressive Clipping. This chapter is the most direct starting point when your immediate challenge is seeing into a molecular structure.
If you need to manage a selection: the 1:30 chapter on View and Point selection editors introduces selection tools, while 14:42, Quick Groups covers storing and controlling selections. These are useful chapters to compare if you are deciding whether to make a selection directly or keep one available for later use.
If you are comparing protein sequences or structures: go to 20:33, Protein Aligner. The chapter describes using the extension to align multiple protein sequences and structures.
If you are documenting protein–ligand interactions: start at 30:02, Interaction designer. The demonstration covers creating and editing 2D and 3D protein–ligand interaction diagrams. This is a good choice when the goal is not only to inspect a complex, but also to make its interactions easier to explain.
If you are building a design from patterns: the 44:59 Pattern Builders chapter introduces a route for rapidly creating advanced designs.
A short viewing plan
For a quick orientation, watch the selection editors, Progressive Clipping, and Quick Groups chapters in order. If your work involves comparing proteins, add Protein Aligner; if you need to present a ligand’s interactions, continue to Interaction designer. This gives you a task-based tour without requiring you to watch every section. Keep the timestamps nearby, then revisit only the chapter that matches a question you encounter in your own work.
The 2024 recording can help when you want context on other parts of the platform. Its chapters include selection through the Document View and Context Toolbar, the Viewport and Selection filters, Selection Commands, the Node Specification Language, and the Interactive Sequence Viewer. It also covers Cycles rendering, the Visual Preset Editor, animation, protein structure prediction with the Cloud Job Manager, GROMACS simulations, and the integrated Python Environment. Each topic has its own timestamp in the recording, making it easier to look up one area without treating the full webinar as required viewing.
The useful habit is simple: identify the modeling task you want to solve, find its chapter, and use the recording as a reference when that task returns. To browse all recordings and their chapter lists, visit the SAMSON webinars documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.