Creating compelling molecular animations can help researchers explain mechanisms, analyze behavior, and communicate results more effectively. But if you’ve ever tried to animate groups of atoms rotating around their center with precision, you’ve probably dealt with scripting or manual workflows that are time-consuming and error-prone.
Fortunately, SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, offers an intuitive way to produce clean, smooth rotational animations for groups of particles. In this post, we’ll walk through how to use the Rotate animation in SAMSON to save time and improve clarity—and we’ll also explain some useful nuances to get better results.
Why Rotation Matters
Whether you are working with proteins, nanostructures, or molecular complexes, showing parts of a structure rotate naturally around their centroid is essential to visualize interactions or symmetry. The Rotate animation helps you achieve this by rotating a selected group of atoms around an axis that goes through the geometric center of the group, aligned with the global Z-axis.
Adding a Rotate Animation
Here’s how you can create a rotate animation in just a few steps:
- Select the group of particles you want to rotate. You can use SAMSON’s selection tools for this (see selection tips).
- Open the Animator (shortcut:
Ctrl+7orCmd+7on macOS). - In the Animation panel, double-click Rotate. This adds a rotate animation effect between the two keyframes.
You can preview the result immediately and adjust the keyframes in the timeline to control rotation duration and direction. The group rotates smoothly around its centroid along the Z-axis—especially useful for molecules with planar symmetry or axis-aligned functions.
Fine-Tuning Your Rotation
Want more control? You can fine-tune the interpolation behavior using the animation’s Easing curve. For instance, slow down the rotation at the beginning and end for a more cinematic feel.
Note: The video example available shows usage via the old Animation menu, which has been removed in recent versions. As of now, all animations are accessible directly via the Animation panel in the Animator interface.
Common Use Cases
- Illustrating conformational changes with a rotational motion
- Producing looped animations for presentations
- Highlighting binding site rotation in receptor-ligand complexes
Rotate animation is part of a larger family of effects in SAMSON. You might also explore related animations like Rock, Move atoms, or Hold atoms depending on your visualization goal.
To learn more about Rotate animation and its integration with other features of the animator, visit the official documentation at https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/rotate/.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.