When preparing molecular presentations, one common challenge researchers face is making specific moments stand out. Whether you’re highlighting a protein-ligand interaction or illustrating a crucial conformational change, these scientific storytelling moments need time to register with your audience.
Animations move fast. Important frames may fly by before your viewers can fully grasp what just happened. This is where SAMSON’s Pause animation effect comes in handy.
Why Pausing Matters
Quick transitions are great for general flow, but key scientific insights deserve time for viewers to reflect. Pausing allows you to:
- Emphasize a specific molecular interaction or structure.
- Add spoken or written commentary synced with the animation.
- Let an audience catch up with complex visual information.
- Control the rhythm and pacing of your explanation.
How It Works in SAMSON
The Pause animation in SAMSON doesn’t stop the whole animation project—instead, it programmatically pauses at a given frame for a specified duration. This is achieved by inserting a Pause keyframe into the animation timeline using the Animation panel found in the Animator.
To insert a Pause animation:
- Go to the Animation panel in the Animator.
- Double-click on the Pause animation effect. This will place a Pause keyframe at the current frame.
- Move the keyframe to the desired location on the timeline if needed (you can always adjust its position and settings later).
Note
You can always move the keyframes of the animation.
Setting the Duration
Once the Pause animation is inserted, you can fine-tune the duration (in seconds) using the Inspector panel. This is where you can precisely control how long the viewer will stay on that frame before the rest of the animation continues.
To edit the duration:
- Select the Pause animation in the Document view.
- Go to the Inspector panel where you can adjust the pause duration.
Use Cases for Molecular Modeling
This small but effective feature is especially useful when presenting:
- A ligand entering a binding pocket
- A transition state during a chemical reaction
- Molecular mechanisms with multiple steps
- A visual comparison before and after a conformational change
By using the Pause effect purposefully, animations become more than just moving atoms—they become stronger communication tools.
To learn more about the Pause animation in SAMSON, visit the full documentation page here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/pause/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.