When preparing molecular animations in SAMSON, one of the common challenges is managing the visibility of complex molecular structures throughout the timeline. For example, you may want to emphasize a particular molecular subunit by momentarily hiding others, or gradually simplify what’s shown to highlight a result or process. Doing this cleanly—and reversibly—can dramatically improve how clearly your animation communicates scientific insights.
This is where the Hide animation in SAMSON comes in handy. It provides a structured, keyframe-based way to make selected nodes (such as molecules, residues, or any visible components) disappear at a specific point in time. This is not just about making them transparent: they become completely hidden, allowing your audience to focus only on what matters most.
How the Hide Animation Works
The Hide animation uses a three-keyframe structure:
- Keyframe 1 → Keyframe 2: Selected nodes stay visible.
- Keyframe 2: The selected nodes disappear.
- Keyframe 2 → Keyframe 3: Nodes remain hidden.
This design simplifies what would otherwise require two separate animations: Shown followed by Hidden. Now, with a single animation effect, your molecules cleanly vanish at precisely the right time.
Getting Started
- Select the nodes you want to hide. These can be any visual elements in your scene.
- Open the Animation panel in the Animator tab.
- Double-click the Hide animation.
After the animation is added, you can move the keyframes freely to align them with other timeline events. This gives you flexibility in communicating the dynamics of a molecular system without adding clutter to your visuals.
Fine-Tuning the Animation
Once you’ve added the Hide effect, the transition can be smoothed or adjusted using easing curves. This allows you to control the temporal interpolation between keyframes, which can result in more natural-feeling movements throughout your animation.
Learn more about easing curves here.
Example Visualization
Here’s an example from the SAMSON documentation illustrating how the Hide animation makes molecular elements disappear precisely at keyframe 2:
Why This Matters
For molecular modelers creating educational content or preparing publication-ready presentations, clarity is key. The Hide animation helps declutter the scene by focusing viewer attention. This is particularly useful in:
- Multistep reaction mechanisms
- Comparative structural changes
- Time-lapse animations with multiple fragments
It’s a small feature, but it can make a big difference in how insights are communicated visually.
To learn more, visit the official SAMSON documentation for the Hide animation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.