Creating clear, engaging molecular animations can be a challenge, especially when you want to highlight key transitions without overwhelming your audience with too much happening on screen. One common issue faced by molecular modelers and presenters is how to make certain molecular components temporarily disappear in a polished, non-distracting way during animations.
If you’re using SAMSON, there’s a purpose-built animation that can help: Hide. Unlike transparency adjustments—which can leave molecular residues faintly visible—the Hide animation truly makes components disappear, staying hidden until you choose to reveal them again.
Why use ‘Hide’ rather than just changing transparency?
Transparency can be useful but doesn’t provide a clean break from visual clutter—it can leave complex systems still faintly outlined or confusing. The Hide animation instead alters visibility directly, allowing for precise control in your scientific storytelling, particularly when navigating between different levels of detail or focusing on reaction centers.
How it works
The Hide animation in SAMSON is comprised of three keyframes:
- From keyframe 1 to 2: your selected nodes (atoms, residues, entire molecules, etc.) are visible.
- At keyframe 2: they disappear with no trace—they’re hidden entirely.
- From keyframe 2 to 3: these nodes stay hidden.
This structure makes it easy to cleanly remove specific components at exactly the right moment in the animation timeline—and reintroduce them later with another animation like Show or Appear.
Applying the animation
1. First, select the nodes you want to hide.
2. Then, in the Animation panel of the Animator, double-click on the Hide animation.
3. Adjust the timing and position of the three keyframes as needed. You can do this interactively by dragging them in the animation timeline.
Tip: You can modify how the disappearance feels (e.g., sudden or smooth) by customizing the Easing curve. Though the Hide animation makes things disappear instantly, easing curves affect how the animation transitions between frames and can be useful when planning concurrent animations.
A more understandable molecular story
Hiding parts of your system at just the right moment can greatly improve the clarity of your animation. Whether you’re highlighting ligand binding, focusing on active site dynamics, or simply walking a viewer through a large protein complex, knowing how and when to remove non-essential components makes your presentation more effective and easier to follow.
The Hide animation might not be the flashiest feature in the Animator, but it solves a real need: visual decluttering, timed just right.
To learn more, check out the full documentation on the Hide animation here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/hide/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Try it today at https://www.samson-connect.net.