Learning a molecular modeling application can involve a familiar frustration: you understand what a guide describes, but when you return to the software, you are not sure which action to take next. Reading and practicing are different tasks. SAMSON’s interactive tutorials are designed to bridge that gap by guiding you through a task inside the application.
Choose practice when you have a workflow in mind
Interactive tutorials are most useful when you want to practice a concrete workflow rather than simply read about it. They are optional, so there is no need to complete one just because you are beginning to use SAMSON. You can return to the tutorial list later, when a particular tutorial matches what you want to learn.
A helpful starting point is to become familiar with the main interface areas first. The First look: the interface page introduces those areas. If you have also explored Moving around and Loading molecules, you may find it easier to focus on the tutorial’s task instead of orienting yourself in the application at the same time.
Turn a tutorial into repeatable practice
Before starting, decide what you want to get from the session: for example, understanding the sequence of actions in a workflow or learning where to find the relevant guidance. This small step can keep the tutorial from becoming a series of clicks without a clear purpose.
To begin, open Help > Tutorials, choose a tutorial, and click Start tutorial. As you follow along, pay attention to the relationship between each instruction and the action it asks you to perform. The goal is not only to finish the guided steps, but to understand enough of the sequence to try it again afterward.
When the tutorial is complete, make a second attempt without the tutorial window. If you can repeat the demonstrated workflow, you have turned guided practice into a skill you can use independently. If you get stuck, note the point where you lost the sequence and look for the relevant guide page. The documentation’s intended outcome is practical: after a tutorial, you should be able to repeat the workflow without the tutorial window, or know which guide page to consult for the task.
It is fine to stop and restart
A tutorial does not have to fit into one uninterrupted session. To stop an interactive tutorial, close its tip window in the top-right corner of the Viewport. When you are ready to try again, return to Help > Tutorials and restart it from scratch. Restarting can also be useful when you want to concentrate on the instructions again rather than continue from memory.
Pick the right kind of help
Interactive tutorials are for guided practice inside SAMSON. If your immediate goal is to work with your own structures, continue with Loading molecules. If you want assistant-led help with questions, commands, selections, or scripts, see SAMSON AI. For tutorials about SAMSON Extensions, use the SAMSON Extensions Tutorials page.
Guided practice works best as a bridge between reading and independent work: learn the interface, follow a tutorial that fits your goal, then try the workflow again on your own. To learn more, see the interactive tutorials documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.