Molecular modelers and educators often face the challenge of communicating dynamic processes effectively—like binding events, conformational changes, or molecule appearances during reactions. In molecular animation, when and how certain elements appear or disappear can make a big difference in how clearly a process is understood.
That’s where the Flash animation in SAMSON can help.
The Flash animation offers a simple but useful effect: it makes selected nodes appear at a chosen keyframe and then disappear at another. Unlike transparency-based animations, it toggles visibility directly, which can be more visually striking in complex molecular scenes.
When is “Flash” especially helpful?
Flash is particularly helpful when you want to:
- Draw attention to a molecular group at a key moment,
- Highlight a ligand binding event,
- Show catalytic site activation in a protein,
- Or simply structure an animation timeline more clearly between visible and non-visible states.
How to Add Flash Animation
Let’s break down the key steps for adding the Flash animation:
- Select the nodes (atoms, molecules, groups) you want to flash in and out.
- Go to the Animation panel in SAMSON’s Animator.
- Double-click the Flash animation to apply it to your selected nodes.
Once added, you’ll have a 4-keyframe sequence:
- Frames 1-2: the nodes are hidden,
- At frame 2: the nodes become visible,
- Frames 2-3: the nodes remain visible,
- At frame 3: the nodes become hidden again,
- Frames 3-4: the nodes remain hidden.
This gives you flexible control over timing. You can stretch or move keyframes to control precisely when visibility changes happen. It’s a quick way to punctuate an animation without overwhelming the viewer with continuous motion.
Control the Transition Feel
Although the visibility change itself is immediate, you can define how the transition between keyframes feels by adjusting the easing curve. For example, you might simulate a sudden molecular switch-on by using a sharp easing function, or imply a transition state by spacing the keyframes more widely.
For molecular modelers preparing presentations, reports, or teaching materials, a targeted visibility animation like Flash can make the flow of molecular processes more intuitive. Rather than continuously animating everything, Flash offers visual clarity by focusing attention only where and when it’s most needed.
To learn more about the Flash animation and integrate it into your own molecular scenes, visit the official documentation page here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/flash/.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.