Communicating how molecules come together can be a real challenge for molecular modelers. Whether you’re creating a teaching aid, preparing a presentation, or simply trying to highlight structural organization in a molecular system, the ability to animate the assembly process can make a difference.
Fortunately, there is a way to visualize this in SAMSON without scripting or complex setup. The Assemble animation from SAMSON’s Animator makes it easy to create a smooth assembling motion of atoms, structures, or meshes, from dispersed starting points to their proper configuration.
Why Use an Assemble Animation?
Conceptually, assembly animations help viewers intuitively grasp how molecular parts are organized. This is particularly useful when discussing conformational changes, macromolecular docking, or binding site architecture. But beyond educational clarity, such animations are also handy for creating engaging visuals in articles, posters, or web content.
What Does the Assemble Animation Actually Do?
The Assemble animation in SAMSON makes a selected group of nodes or meshes move from automatically computed positions away from their final locations, into their real positions. This creates the effect of “assembling” a molecular structure. The initial positions are determined automatically, so you don’t have to define them manually.
Adding the Assemble Animation Step-by-Step
- Select a group of structural nodes or meshes you want to assemble.
- If nothing is selected, SAMSON will try to guess what to animate based on the scene.
- Double-click on the Assemble effect in the Animation panel of the Animator.
- Adjust the position of keyframes on the timeline to control timing.
- If you want to fine-tune how far components move before assembling, you can inspect the animation and adjust the amplitude.
You can also customize how the movement speed changes over time by modifying the easing curve used between frames.
Practical Examples
A few examples hosted on SAMSON Connect demonstrate how this animation can enhance 3D presentations:
These can serve as inspiration to create your own presentation, especially for visualizing how complex biological structures fit together.
Good to Know
- You can always move keyframes after placing the animation.
- The animation menu shown in some older examples has been replaced with the updated Animation panel.
To explore this feature and others, check the official documentation page for the Assemble animation: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/assemble/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.