Sharing clear and engaging molecular mechanisms is often a challenge in computational modeling. Whether you are preparing for a presentation, creating supplementary materials for a publication, or simply documenting your workflow, showing your molecular model in action can make a world of difference. That’s where the ability to export animations as movies in SAMSON can help.
SAMSON’s Animator panel allows you not only to design all sorts of molecular and camera animations, but also to export your presentation as a movie you can share or embed. Here’s how it works and what you need to know.
Why export animations as movies?
Static images may be informative, but dynamic representations can make key points jump out:
- Illustrating docking or assembly mechanisms step by step
- Following camera paths around complex molecular surfaces
- Revealing changes from molecular dynamics simulations
- Creating animations with background slides for presentations
By exporting these animations as .mp4, .gif or .webm files, you can incorporate your visualizations into talks, video abstracts, or teaching materials.
How to export movies in SAMSON
Once you’ve created your presentation using the Animator panel, click on the Save movie icon at the top of the interface.
You’ll be prompted to choose:
- A file format:
.mp4,.gif, or.webm - The resolution and frame rate (usually specified in the Presentation options)
- The file’s save location
Movie quality tips
Here are a few recommendations to get the best results from your exported movies:
- Use the Hold camera animation to control viewpoints and maintain a consistent perspective
- Add background slides with the Set background animation to provide context or explanations mid-animation
- Adjust transparency and appearance effects (e.g. Appear, Disappear) to highlight or phase out molecular features
- Set a custom watermark or remove the SAMSON one (depending on your plan) via the Presentation options
When you press play in the Animator, you get a real-time preview of your animation. If it flows correctly, the exported movie will match what you see. Keep in mind, if you’ve been using animation controllers for fine-tuned camera motions or molecular transformations, they will be automatically hidden in the final movie unless otherwise specified in preferences.
Sharing your work
After exporting, your movie is ready to share — via email, during talks, or even uploaded to document repositories like SAMSON Connect. It streamlines collaboration and communication, especially when working in interdisciplinary teams where a visual explanation speaks more than molecular coordinates or scripts.
By incorporating SAMSON’s export features into your modeling routine, you can visually narrate molecular stories in ways that text or images alone simply can’t achieve.
Learn more in the official documentation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.