When presenting complex molecular systems, timing can make all the difference. Whether you’re showcasing a structural transition, an interaction event, or an energy minimization step, there are critical moments that warrant an extra second—or five—for your audience to absorb what’s happening. In fast-moving molecular animations, these moments may be overlooked. That’s where the Pause animation in SAMSON comes in.
Why pausing matters
Animations drive clarity during molecular design presentations. But clarity isn’t just about showing the right frames—it’s also about pacing. Modelers often face the challenge of keeping audiences engaged while ensuring they don’t miss key steps or conformational changes. Blazing through dozens or hundreds of frames without pause can overwhelm viewers, especially in educational or collaborative settings.
For example, imagine you’re presenting a docking simulation, and you want your audience to focus on the exact moment when the ligand aligns optimally within the active site. That moment might be just one frame long. A well-placed pause can capture that frame and extend its duration—giving your viewers time to appreciate it.
What the Pause animation does
The Pause animation effect lets you freeze your molecular animation at a specific frame for a number of seconds that you decide. It doesn’t stop the animation entirely—it holds the current visual on-screen for the duration you set, and then continues with the next keyframes.
How to add a Pause
In the Animation panel of the Animator, double-click on the Pause animation effect. This will insert a new keyframe at your current position in the timeline. You can always drag this keyframe to another frame later.
Once the Pause animation is inserted, just select it in the Document view. Then, in the Inspector, you’ll see an option to specify the duration of the pause in seconds. For example, setting it to 3.0 will hold the frame for exactly three seconds before continuing with the rest of the animation.
Tips for effective use
- Use pauses strategically to emphasize key molecular events or transitions.
- Pair a Pause with voice narration or on-screen labels to provide additional context.
- Consider multiple pauses in a single animation to break complex motions into digestible segments.
Pauses may seem small, but they are powerful tools for improving the clarity and impact of your presentations—especially when explaining subtle molecular phenomena.
To learn more, visit the official Pause animation documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.