When preparing molecular animations and presentations, many researchers and students struggle to create clear and engaging visual sequences that effectively communicate structural features and motions. A recurring challenge is how to rotate parts of a molecular system smoothly and precisely, especially during animations where focus and directionality matter.
In SAMSON, the integrative platform for molecular design, the Rotate animation effect is designed specifically to help with this. It allows you to rotate a selected group of particles around their geometric center, which is particularly useful in presentations when you want to highlight specific conformational arrangements or movements.
Why this matters
Molecular modelers often deal with complex assemblies. If you’re preparing figures or movies for publications or teaching, rotating molecules manually during a screen capture can lead to inconsistencies or disorientation. The Rotate animation in SAMSON provides precise control, helping produce visuals that are not only clearer but more repeatable and professional-looking.
How the Rotate animation works
The rotation is performed around a vector that passes through the centroid of the selected group and is aligned with the Z-axis. This vector acts as a virtual axis of rotation, ensuring that the group spins around its center in a controlled manner. The default alignment with the Z-axis can be particularly handy when preparing presentations that require a clean vertical rotation setup.
Step-by-step: Add and control a rotation
- Select the atoms or particles you want to rotate. Make sure your selection is meaningful—perhaps focusing on a side chain, a ligand, or a molecular subunit.
- Open the Animator (use
Ctrl+7on Windows/Linux,Cmd+7on macOS) and locate the Animation panel. - Double-click on the Rotate animation effect. SAMSON will insert a new Rotate animation between two keyframes.
- You can then adjust the rotation timing by moving the keyframes. This is useful to animate a slow continuous rotation or quick spins for emphasis.
Want smoother transitions? You can change how the rotation progresses between frames using the Easing curve. For instance, using an ease-in-out curve creates a more natural acceleration and deceleration, similar to how physical objects behave.
Example in action
The image below shows what happens when the Rotate animation is applied to a molecular group:
Final tips
- You can combine the Rotate animation with other effects like Rock or Move atoms to create more dynamic sequences.
- Keep your rotation direction and speed consistent with other parts of your animation, especially in multi-part scenes.
- If you used the older Animation menu, note that it has been removed in recent versions. All animations are now managed through the Animation panel in the Animator.
To learn more about the Rotate animation and integration within the Animator, visit the SAMSON documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/rotate/.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.