When preparing molecular presentations or scientific animations, clearly showing how components of a model separate or interact is often essential. Whether you’re illustrating protein-ligand interactions, simulating docking workflows, or simply trying to help an audience focus on specific molecular regions, one visual technique stands out for its clarity: disassembly.
SAMSON offers a built-in Disassemble animation effect that lets you move defined molecular components away from their initial positions. This is especially useful for revealing details in complex molecular assemblies. Instead of manually moving atoms or meshes, the Disassemble animation calculates the new positions automatically, displacing groups in a natural and reversible way between keyframes.
What the Disassemble Animation Does
The Disassemble effect moves a selected group of structural nodes or meshes from their initial positions, spreading them apart to reveal interior structures or simply emphasize individual units. It works between two defined keyframes in your animation timeline.
By default, the amplitude – how far elements move – is calculated automatically based on the structure’s geometry. This ensures that the disassembly makes spatial sense. If necessary, you can fine-tune the amplitude in the Inspector to better suit your needs.
When to Use It
Many molecular modelers struggle with visually intense or crowded structures. For example, binding pockets can be hard to present with ligands or cofactors in place. The Disassemble effect can quickly separate these elements without permanently altering the model, and with an easy return path using the animation timeline.
Use cases include:
- Exploring active sites by peeling away regulatory subunits
- Creating before-and-after views of molecular complexation
- Making attention-grabbing teaser animations for presentations or lectures
- Breaking down complex nanomaterials or DNA/RNA structures for educational purposes
Getting Started
- Select one or more structural nodes or meshes you’d like to animate. If you don’t select anything, SAMSON will attempt to automatically determine targets.
- In the Animator interface, find the Animation panel and double-click the Disassemble effect.
- You’ll see new keyframes added to your timeline. Adjust their positions as needed to control when and how the disassembly happens.
- If needed, open the Inspector to modify parameters like amplitude or easing curves. This can make transitions appear faster, slower, or more elastic.
Presentation Tips
Pair the disassembly with camera movements and lighting changes to make transitions even more meaningful. For example, zooming into a previously hidden active site just as components disassemble can highlight precisely what you want the audience to see.
Note: While earlier versions of SAMSON used a dedicated Animation menu, you now access all animations directly via the Animator. Shortcut: Ctrl+7 (Cmd+7 on macOS).
To learn more about the Disassemble animation and its full capabilities, visit the official documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download it at https://www.samson-connect.net.