If you’ve ever recorded molecular animations for presentations or publications, you’ve probably wrestled with getting that perfect, meaningful rotation of your molecular system. It’s easy to spend too much time adjusting camera angles manually, only to end up with a dizzying spin that doesn’t help your audience understand what’s happening at the atomic level 🎥🧬.
Fortunately, SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, offers an intuitive Rotate animation feature that helps you produce clean, centered rotations of your molecular systems—without the tedium.
Why precise rotation matters
When you’re presenting a molecular structure—whether it’s a protein, nanoparticle, or drug candidate—rotation helps viewers comprehend spatial relationships. But arbitrary or jittery spins can confuse more than they clarify. SAMSON’s Rotate animation operates around the geometric center of a selected group of particles, ensuring your effects are scientifically meaningful and visually smooth.
How it works
The Rotate animation lets you rotate a group of particles around a vector aligned with the Z-axis that passes through the centroid of the group. This centers the rotation logically, providing a consistent reference frame across different molecular systems.
Steps:
- Select the atoms or molecules you want to rotate. Use the selection tools in SAMSON as needed.
- Open the Animator: Use the shortcut
Ctrl + 7(Cmd + 7on macOS) or navigate via the interface: Interface > Animator. - In the Animation panel, double-click on Rotate. This will insert a Rotate animation effect between two keyframes at your current time markers.
- You can move the keyframes as needed to control how long the rotation occurs.
Customizing the motion with easing
Want the spin to slow down at the end, or maybe accelerate at the start? Adjust the easing curve of the animation to change how rotation parameters are interpolated between keyframes. SAMSON supports different easing functions, which can help you design animations that feel more natural or cinematic.
A tip if you’re revisiting older tutorials
Some legacy videos may refer to an ‘Animation menu’ that no longer exists in current SAMSON versions. All effects—including Rotate—are now conveniently available through the Animation panel inside the Animator.
Rotate vs. Rock: Know your tools
For side-to-side oscillations, you may consider the Rock animation instead. But for continuous rotation about a central axis, Rotate is the go-to. Use them together when you want to alternate viewing angles without over-rotating.
With Rotate, you’re not just adding motion—you’re guiding the viewer’s eye and highlighting the spatial organization of atoms, proteins, and complexes.
To learn more, visit the full documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/rotate/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.