Designing clear and engaging molecular presentations can be tricky—especially when it comes to showing complex molecular structures without overwhelming the viewer. One recurring challenge for molecular modelers, educators, and students is how to highlight parts of a molecular system progressively, instead of showing everything at once.
This is where SAMSON’s Appear animation comes into play.
Progressive Reveal with the Appear Animation
The Appear animation in SAMSON is designed specifically for users who want to gradually introduce structural elements of a model into their presentations. Whether you’re working with meshes, labels, visual or structural models, this animation helps illustrate molecular structures in stages—without abrupt changes.
When Should You Use It?
Many molecular models can feel overwhelming at first glance. When presenting such systems in lectures, tutorials, or research talks, it’s often helpful to isolate components and sequentially introduce them. The Appear animation makes this possible by controlling the transparency of objects.
It’s perfect when you want to:
- Unveil a protein binding site step-by-step
- Reveal the inner architecture of a molecular assembly
- Create professional videos and animations where structural layers are faded in synchrony with your narration
How It Works
The Appear animation is applicable only to nodes that support transparency, like structural models, meshes, visual models, or labels. If applied to objects without a transparency attribute (like individual atoms or bonds), the result is similar to the Show animation.
The animation consists of four keyframes:
- Keyframes 1 → 2: Nodes stay fully transparent
- Keyframes 2 → 3: Nodes progressively appear (transparency decreases)
- Keyframes 3 → 4: Nodes become fully opaque
This structure lets you place animation events precisely on your timeline, so that key structural elements appear exactly when needed.
Customizing the Animation
You can tailor the animation curve to smooth out the transitions by adjusting the easing curve. For instance, using a slow-start curve can give your models a more natural fade-in effect, which improves visual comprehension and aesthetics.
How to Add It
Here’s a quick guide:
- Select the nodes you want to animate (e.g., meshes, structural models).
- Open the Animation panel in the Animator interface.
- Double-click on the Appear effect to add it.
- Adjust or move the keyframes as needed to match your storyboard.
Things to Keep in Mind
While individual atoms and bonds don’t support transparency directly, you can apply the Appear animation to their parent structural models to achieve a similar visual outcome. Also, keep in mind that the current interface uses the Animator panel instead of the older Animation menu, so shortcuts might differ.
You can see an example of the Appear animation in action below:
A well-timed reveal of your molecular scene with a transparency fade-in can make a substantial difference in how others grasp your explanations. If you’re looking to elevate your molecular storytelling, the Appear animation is a simple yet practical tool to consider.
To learn more about the Appear animation, visit the official documentation page here:
https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/appear/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download the platform at www.samson-connect.net.