Visualizing molecular transitions is a fundamental part of molecular modeling. Whether you’re tracking a conformational change, reviewing a reaction pathway, or simply cycling between states, being able to loop animations smoothly—and sometimes in reverse—can make a big difference.
In SAMSON, the Play reverse path animation feature offers a convenient way to replay one or more molecular paths backward. This can be particularly useful when you’re analyzing dynamic processes and you want to repeatedly switch between start and end states for comparison or presentation purposes.
What problem does this solve?
Suppose you’ve just recorded a molecular trajectory using a path node in SAMSON. You can easily play it forward, but reloading or duplicating the path just to see it backward wastes time and breaks flow. The Play reverse path animation lets you reverse the motion without manual hacks or re-generating data.
This is especially helpful in situations like:
- Evaluating the reversibility of a motion or transition
- Creating looping educational content that cycles back and forth naturally
- Presenting molecular dynamics in a clearer and more engaging way
How it works
To use the feature:
- Select a Path node representing a trajectory or motion you’d like to reverse.
- In the Animation panel of the Animator, double-click the Play reverse path effect.
- Adjust the keyframes to define the animation interval. The animation will play the path backwards within that interval.
- If multiple paths are selected, SAMSON will synchronize them automatically.
Customization options
You can control how SAMSON smooths out the motion in case the number of animation frames doesn’t match the number of path frames. By default, smoothing is applied to interpolate between points, which looks cleaner for presentations. But if you’re analyzing data and want raw path fidelity, you can disable smoothing in the Inspector.
For even more control, you can tweak the Easing curve, which helps control the interpolation behavior between frames. Both linear and custom curves are supported for tailoring the playback to specific visualization needs.
Keep your workflow fluid
Small features like Play reverse path can have a big impact on modeling efficiency, especially if you frequently switch between different molecular states or need to present smooth, reversible animations. If you’re regularly working with motion trajectories or exploring conformational space, consider adding this tool to your everyday SAMSON toolkit.
Learn more and explore additional options in the official documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.