Communicating molecular interactions often involves not only showing how components come together, but also how they come apart. Whether you’re demonstrating ligand departure, the dissociation of a protein complex, or just separating structural components in a clear visual, choosing the right animation can make a big difference.
In SAMSON, the Undock animation simplifies the process of showing molecules detaching or moving away from one another. This feature makes it fast and straightforward to create clear, informative visuals without having to manually animate every atomic motion.
Why Undock Matters
If you’ve ever tried animating a molecular disassembly manually, you know how time-consuming it can be: selecting atoms, setting up directions, adjusting trajectories. The Undock animation automates all this. It allows you to highlight molecular departures as part of your presentation or simulation, contributing to more understandable scientific storytelling.
How It Works
Start by selecting your nodes: one to act as the static “receptor,” and the others to be undocked. These can be groups of atoms or meshes. If your receptor includes several components, simply merge them in a folder and select the folder first.
What if you forget to select? No problem—SAMSON tries to guess sensible components based on your document structure.
Next, in the Animation panel within the Animator, double-click Undock. SAMSON automatically calculates the final positions, moving the selected nodes away from the receptor between the two keyframes.
Fine-Tuning Your Animation
Once the animation is added, you’re free to adjust keyframe timing for smoother or more dramatic transitions. To tweak how far components move away, inspect the animation and change the amplitude. This gives you helpful control over the visual style, whether you want a fast “pop-off” or a slower, more deliberate exit.
Additionally, SAMSON allows you to adjust interpolation using an Easing curve for more natural or synced movement. Perfect for storytelling or creating training content.
Example in Motion
In the following demo image, the Undock animation is used to clearly show a group of molecules moving apart during a presentation:
When Should You Use Undock?
- Showing ligand unbinding sequences
- Demonstrating disassembly in molecular machines
- Creating before/after views for educational content
- Preparing components for replacement in simulations
- Quickly setting up alternate structural configurations
In complex molecular storytelling, clear detachment is just as important as attachment. The Undock animation makes it easy.
To learn more, see the full documentation on Undock here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/undock/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON from https://www.samson-connect.net.