A molecular modeling task can feel straightforward when you read about it, then become less obvious when you are back in the application deciding what to do next. Where is the relevant control? What should you try first? And if you lose your place, do you need to start over?
SAMSON’s interactive tutorials are designed for this moment: they guide you through a task inside the application. Rather than treating a tutorial as another page to read, use it as a short, focused practice session. The aim is not just to reach the end of the prompts. It is to become more comfortable repeating the demonstrated workflow without them.
Choose the right moment
Tutorials are optional, so there is no need to complete them all before working on a project. They are most useful when you have a specific workflow you want to practice. If you are still unfamiliar with the main areas of the interface, begin with First look: the interface. If you want to move around the workspace or load a structure first, use the guides for Moving around and Loading molecules.
This sequence helps keep the tutorial focused: first get your bearings, then practice a task in context. If you already know the interface, you can start a tutorial whenever you want a guided refresher.
Turn the prompts into a repeatable workflow
To begin, open Help > Tutorials, select a tutorial, and click Start tutorial. As you work through it, pay attention to the actions that make up the workflow, not only to the next instruction. For example, notice what you were trying to accomplish at each step and how the interface helped you get there.
When the tutorial ends, pause before moving on. Try to describe the task in a few steps, using your own words. Then, if it is appropriate for your current work, see whether you can repeat the demonstrated workflow without relying on the tutorial window. This small recall exercise can reveal which parts are already clear and which would benefit from another look. If you cannot yet repeat the process, that is useful information: restart the tutorial or consult the relevant guide page before relying on the workflow in a project.
If you need to stop
You do not have to finish a tutorial in one sitting. To stop it, close the tutorial tip window in the top-right corner of the Viewport. You can restart it from scratch later through Help > Tutorials. Restarting can also be helpful when you want to practice the same sequence again rather than simply reread the instructions.
Keep the goal modest: use a tutorial to build familiarity with one task, not to memorize every detail of SAMSON at once. As you encounter new modeling needs, you can return to the tutorials and choose one that matches the workflow you want to learn. For guidance about extensions specifically, see the SAMSON Extensions Tutorials; these are separate from the built-in interactive tutorials.
What to do next
After guided practice, try loading molecules if you want to work with your own structures, or explore SAMSON AI for assistant-led help with questions, commands, selections, or scripts. You can also return to Start here to follow the broader onboarding path.
For the exact steps to launch, stop, or restart a tutorial, see the interactive tutorials documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.