When a molecular model contains several bound components, it can be difficult to show their arrangement clearly in a static view. Moving objects by hand may also make a presentation harder to reproduce. The Undock animation in SAMSON offers a straightforward way to visualize groups of atoms or meshes moving away from their docked positions, with the destination positions computed automatically.
This is useful when you want to make a structural relationship easier to inspect: for example, by showing which group sits against a receptor before moving it away. The animation gives viewers a before-and-after view without requiring you to manually position the animated nodes first.
Set the receptor before you animate
The selection order determines what stays in place and what moves. Select at least two structural nodes or meshes, making the receptor the first selected node. The other selected nodes are the ones that will be animated. That order is easy to overlook, so check the selection before adding the effect.
If more than one node should remain as the receptor, put those nodes in a folder and select the folder as the first node. This lets you treat several receptor components as one static selection for the animation setup. If nothing is selected, SAMSON will try to guess which nodes the animation should apply to; making the selection explicitly can help you control the result.
Add the effect, then tune its timing
Open the Animator and find the Undock effect in its Animation panel. Double-click the effect to add it. The selected nodes will move between the animation’s two keyframes, so you can move those keyframes to adjust when the separation starts and finishes in your presentation.
The movement amplitude—the extent of the separation—is computed automatically when the animation is created. If the result is too large or too small for your view, inspect the animation and change its amplitude in the Inspector. You can also adjust how the parameters change between frames by editing the easing curve. In practical terms, the keyframes control the animation’s timing, while the amplitude controls how far the nodes move.
A quick setup checklist
- Select the receptor first, followed by the nodes or meshes that should move.
- Use a folder as the first selection if several nodes should stay together as the receptor.
- Add Undock from the Animator’s Animation panel.
- Review the movement, then adjust the keyframes, amplitude, or easing curve as needed.
One interface detail is worth noting: the documentation’s example movie shows an Animation menu that is no longer present. In current SAMSON, access animations through the Animation panel in the Animator, and use the Animator’s controls for presentation actions.
Undock is most helpful when the goal is to communicate relative placement and separation in an animation. It provides an automatically computed movement that you can refine for the timing and scale of your presentation. For the complete instructions, see the Undock animation documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.