For molecular modelers, especially those new to a software platform, the learning curve can sometimes feel steep. SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, addresses this pain point with its interactive tutorials, a hands-on way to bring workflows to life directly within the application. This blog post dives into how you can take advantage of these tutorials to refine your skills and make the most of your time in SAMSON.
What Are Interactive Tutorials?
Interactive tutorials in SAMSON are designed as guided, step-by-step walkthroughs right inside the software. These tutorials help you perform specific tasks in real time, offering practical learning that moves beyond textbook explanations or static documents. Whether you’re just starting to explore SAMSON or returning to master a specific workflow, interactive tutorials offer an immediate and intuitive way to strengthen your molecular design capabilities.
Why Use Interactive Tutorials?
For molecular modelers, understanding how to complete a workflow directly in the software is often far more effective than reading instructions from a guide. Here’s when SAMSON’s interactive tutorials are the most useful:
- When you are learning interfaces: After using basic orientation guides like First look: the interface.
- When mastering workflows: To practice concrete molecular design tasks instead of reading about them passively.
- When returning for specific needs: Tutorials are optional, and you can always revisit them whenever a guided example suits a project.
The goal here is not just to complete the tutorial but to gain confidence in repeating the workflow independently.
How to Start a Tutorial
Starting an interactive tutorial in SAMSON is simple. Just follow these steps:
- Go to Help > Tutorials from the main menu.
- Select a tutorial relevant to your task or skill focus.
- Click Start tutorial to begin the guided process.
The tutorial window will appear and guide you step-by-step, helping you perform the task within SAMSON itself. If you feel stuck, no worries—you can pause or stop and revisit the tutorial at any time.
Stopping or Restarting a Tutorial
If you need to stop a tutorial midway, just close the tutorial tip window, which appears in the top-right corner of the Viewport. And should you wish to revisit the tutorial, it’s easy to restart it from the Help > Tutorials menu.
Tips for Beginners
Still trying to get your bearings? Before diving into interactive tutorials, spending time with the following foundational resources can help:
- Moving around: Learn how to navigate effectively in SAMSON.
- Loading molecules: A great starting point for workflows and tutorials involving molecular structures.
- First look: Explore the key areas of the SAMSON interface used during tutorials.
What’s Next?
Once you’ve completed an interactive tutorial, use your new knowledge to tackle your projects independently. If you’d like to dive deeper into a specific aspect of SAMSON, check out the full range of resources available in the documentation.
To learn more and access all the details about interactive tutorials, visit the official documentation page: Interactive Tutorials Documentation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Download SAMSON at SAMSON’s official site.