When presenting molecular dynamics, structural models, or reaction mechanisms, clarity often depends on timing. If your animations move too quickly or lack clear pauses, your audience might miss key points. Fortunately, SAMSON provides a simple but highly effective feature to help you control the flow of your presentation: the Stop animation effect.
This tool allows you to introduce intentional breaks in your presentation, simulating a slide-by-slide flow. It ensures your viewers can follow along, contemplate structures, or ask questions before continuing. Let’s explore how this works and why it might improve your next demonstration.
Why Pausing Matters in Molecular Presentations
Molecular modelers often use animations to communicate the results of simulations like protein folding, docking, or conformational changes. But unlike traditional slides, animations usually proceed from start to finish without interruption—unless you manually pause them. This creates pressure to talk quickly, potentially leaving your audience behind.
That’s where the Stop animation comes in. It lets you introduce a hard stop at any frame. You control when the animation continues, either by pressing Space or clicking the Play button in the Animator panel. Think of it as adding a slide transition point in an animated sequence.
How to Use the Stop Animation
The process is simple:
- Open the Animation panel in the Animator window.
- Double-click the Stop animation effect. A new keyframe will be placed at the current frame.
- If needed, drag the keyframe along the timeline to adjust its position.
At that frame, the animation will halt. You then resume manually, offering viewers time to digest the information or ask questions.
Tip
You can always move the keyframes around to fine-tune your timing, even after placing them.
When to Use It
- During lectures: Emphasize specific reaction steps without rushing.
- In recorded content: Organize your video into logical chapters.
- For research presentations: Pause to compare structures, highlight anomalies, or discuss interactions.
Alternative Options
The Pause animation offers a timed stop, automatically resuming after a set delay. In contrast, Stop waits indefinitely until you decide to continue. Choose based on your presentation style and audience interactions.
To learn more about the Stop animation and how to integrate it into your SAMSON workflow, visit the official documentation here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/stop/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.