A familiar frustration in molecular modeling is understanding what a tool does in theory, then hesitating when it is time to use it on a real structure. Reading documentation can explain the steps, but it may not give you the confidence to repeat them inside the application. Interactive tutorials in SAMSON offer another route: guided practice directly in the software.
Practice a task, not just a feature
A tutorial is most useful when you have a concrete task in mind. Rather than browsing tutorials at random, think about a workflow you want to practice. You might want to become more comfortable with a task in SAMSON, or reinforce something you have just read about. The goal is to move from recognizing instructions to carrying them out in the application.
This is why interactive tutorials fit well after you have learned the main interface areas. If you are still unsure where the Viewport or other parts of the interface are, start with First look: the interface. If you need to get around or bring a structure into SAMSON first, review Moving around and Loading molecules. A little orientation can make the guided steps easier to follow.
A simple practice loop
- Choose a workflow. Decide what you want to learn before opening the tutorial list. This gives your practice a clear purpose.
- Start the guide. In SAMSON, go to Help > Tutorials, select a tutorial, and click Start tutorial.
- Follow the steps in context. Work through the instructions in the application rather than treating the tutorial as another page to read. Pay attention to where each action happens and what you need to do next.
- Try the workflow again. Once you have completed the tutorial, see whether you can repeat the demonstrated workflow without the tutorial window. If you need a reminder, use the relevant guide page.
That last step is useful because completing instructions while they are visible is not quite the same as remembering a workflow later. A second attempt helps you identify which parts now feel familiar and which still need reference material.
It is fine to pause—or come back later
Interactive tutorials are optional, not a required checkpoint in onboarding. If none of the available tutorials matches what you need today, continue with another part of your work and return when one becomes relevant. You can stop a tutorial by closing its tip window in the top-right corner of the Viewport. If you want to begin again, restart it from Help > Tutorials.
This makes tutorials a practical resource to revisit, rather than something you need to finish all at once. Use one when you want guided practice; use a written guide when you need to look up a particular detail. For questions, commands, selections, or scripts, you can also explore SAMSON AI.
For the complete instructions on launching, stopping, and restarting tutorials, see the interactive tutorials documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.