When preparing scientific presentations or videos, one of the most common frustrations for molecular modelers is illustrating how components of a complex biomolecular system separate or disengage—without adding unnecessary clutter or manually repositioning dozens of atoms or structures.
This is where the Disassemble animation effect in SAMSON offers a practical solution. It allows you to create automatic decomposition animations of molecular structures directly in your workspace. Whether you’re highlighting subunits in a protein complex, visualizing nanoparticle components, or explaining how parts of a molecular machine fit together, this tool saves time and improves communication. Here’s how it works—and how to make the most of it.
Disassemble Effect: How It Works
The Disassemble animation effect moves selected structural nodes (like molecules, assemblies, or meshes) away from their current positions. The direction and distance of movement are computed automatically to achieve a visually logical separation. This creates a clean and digestible view of the molecular system without the need to fine-tune individual atom or component positions.
Step-by-Step: Setting Up the Animation
- Select what you want to disassemble: Use the selection tools in SAMSON to choose structural nodes or meshes. If nothing is selected, SAMSON will try to intelligently guess the target objects.
- Open the Animator: Access it via the Ctrl+7 shortcut (or Cmd+7 on macOS), or via the interface through
Interface > Animator. - Add the Disassemble effect: Double-click the ‘Disassemble’ animation in the Animator panel. A default movement between two keyframes will be applied.
- Adjust keyframes: You can move these keyframes on the timeline to control when the motion starts and ends.
Fine-Tuning the Effect
There are several properties that let you tweak the animation after it’s been applied:
- Change the amplitude: Use the Inspector to control how far apart components are pulled from each other.
- Control the timing: Use easing curves to specify how parameters evolve between the start and end of the animation. This gives control over dynamics, such as simulating gravity-like effects or mechanical movements.
Real-World Use Case
Imagine you’re working with a multi-protein complex and need to explain its architecture during a lecture or a research pitch. Instead of manually separating each component—and risking visual noise or inconsistency—you apply the Disassemble effect in seconds. The proteins cleanly move apart, making it immediately clear how they fit together in the original structure.
By leveraging this kind of automatic visual decomposition, you’ll spend less time on animation setup, and more on analysis and communication.
What to Keep in Mind
The Disassemble animation is based on visual logic rather than physical simulation. That means it’s an outstanding tool for visual storytelling, outreach, and preliminary snapshots—but might not be suitable for simulating real-time molecular dynamics. It’s perfect for when the goal is clarity, not physical accuracy.
To learn more and explore additional examples, visit the full documentation page at https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/disassemble/.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.