A common frustration when learning molecular modeling software is knowing what you want to do but not knowing where to begin in the interface. A written guide can explain a workflow, yet switching between instructions and the application may leave you wondering whether you are in the right place or what to try next.
SAMSON’s interactive tutorials offer a way to practice a task inside the application, with guidance presented as you work. They are useful when you are ready to move beyond learning what the interface contains and want to try a concrete workflow for yourself.
Choose the right moment to start
Tutorials are optional, so there is no need to complete one before exploring SAMSON. They tend to be most useful after you have learned the main interface areas and tried basic navigation. If you have not yet moved around the application or loaded a molecule, those are sensible steps to tackle first. Once the interface feels less unfamiliar, a tutorial can help you practice a specific task rather than simply read about it.
This order can make the learning process less overwhelming: first get oriented, then practice a workflow, and return to reference material when you need details. If you already have a particular task in mind, you can also come back to the tutorials later and choose one that matches what you want to learn.
Start, practice, and repeat
To launch a built-in tutorial, go to Help > Tutorials, select a tutorial, and click Start tutorial. As you follow along, treat the tutorial as a practice session rather than a checklist to finish as quickly as possible. Pay attention to the sequence of actions and to the parts of the interface involved. Understanding that sequence makes it easier to repeat the workflow later without relying on the tutorial window.
A useful learning loop is simple: follow the guided steps, pause to notice what each step is helping you do, and then try to reproduce the workflow from memory. If you cannot remember a step, that is useful information—not a failure. Restart the tutorial and focus on the part that was unclear. The goal is to become comfortable repeating the demonstrated task, or to know which guide page to consult when you need a reminder.
It is fine to stop and return later
You do not have to finish a tutorial in one sitting. To stop, close the tutorial 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 be helpful when you want a clean practice run or want to check whether you can now follow the workflow with less help.
Keep the scope in mind: these are built-in SAMSON tutorials. If your goal is to learn about SAMSON Extensions, use the separate SAMSON Extensions Tutorials. For assistant-led help with questions, commands, selections, or scripts, the SAMSON AI guide is another place to continue.
The practical takeaway is to use interactive tutorials when you want to turn instructions into hands-on practice. Start when you feel oriented, work through one relevant task, and repeat it until you can continue without the guide—or know exactly where to look next.
Learn more about interactive tutorials in the SAMSON documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.