Sometimes, molecular modeling isn’t just about data—it’s about telling a clear, visual story. Whether you’re preparing a scientific presentation, a student tutorial, or a molecular animation for a publication, you may face this common problem: how to make some molecular elements gradually fade away, rather than simply vanish.
In SAMSON, the Disappear animation effect provides a subtle yet effective way to make parts of your molecular system progressively disappear—ideal when you want to visually transition views without abrupt visual cuts. This blog post walks you through how to use it, what you need to know before applying it, and why it’s more than just a fancy fade-out.
Why Subtle Fade-Outs Matter in Molecular Design
In presentations or tutorial videos, a sudden disappearance of molecular elements can be jarring or visually confusing. The brain processes transparency differently from abrupt absence, so using progressive transparency helps keep viewers oriented, especially when focusing attention on different parts of a model.
What Is the ‘Disappear’ Animation in SAMSON?
The Disappear animation in SAMSON transitions selected nodes from fully opaque to fully transparent in a smooth, customizable way. This requires that the nodes have a transparency attribute, which applies to node types like:
- Structural models
- Visual models
- Meshes
- Labels
Important: Individual atoms and bonds do not directly support transparency transitions. To apply the effect to these elements, select their parent structural model.
Getting Started: Applying the ‘Disappear’ Animation
- Choose the nodes you’d like to progressively disappear.
- In the Animation panel of the Animator, double-click the Disappear effect.
- The animation adds 4 keyframes by default:
- ⚪ Keyframes 1–2: nodes are fully opaque
- ⚪ Keyframes 2–3: nodes gradually increase in transparency
- ⚪ Keyframes 3–4: nodes are fully transparent
- Move keyframes as desired to control the timing of each phase.
Customize the Feel with Easing Curves
To enhance the realism or emphasis of the animation, you can adjust the Easing curve. This dictates how quickly (or slowly) the transition occurs between keyframes—ideal for matching the pacing of a narrated explanation or synchronizing with other visual cues.
What If Nodes Don’t Support Transparency?
If your selected nodes don’t support transparency, the Disappear animation won’t be able to perform the fade-out. Instead, it will behave like a Hide effect, making nodes invisible instantly. To achieve a true fade-out, ensure you’re applying the effect to objects like structural or visual models.
Conclusion
The Disappear animation gives you better control over storytelling in molecular design. Instead of simply hiding elements, you can make them gently fade away—an elegant improvement over stark visual jumps.
To learn more about the Disappear animation and see additional examples, visit the official documentation page:
https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/disappear/
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.