Getting started with integrative molecular modeling often feels like learning a new language. Which buttons to click? How to visualize data? What’s the right workflow for building or analyzing a molecular system? These are common questions, especially for researchers, students or educators diving into a complex molecular modeling platform like SAMSON.
Fortunately, SAMSON provides a built-in solution to this learning curve: interactive tutorials that are embedded directly within the software. These tutorials don’t just tell you what to do—they show you, in real time, inside your working environment. Whether you’re new to SAMSON or exploring its more advanced features, the tutorials significantly ease the learning process by offering contextual instruction right where and when you need it.
Why interactive tutorials matter
Molecular modelers come from diverse backgrounds—biology, physics, chemistry, computer science—and not everyone is trained in software tools. Even seasoned users of other platforms may find the interface or design philosophy of SAMSON unfamiliar at first. One common pain point is transitioning from static documentation or video guides to hands-on practice.
Interactive tutorials close this gap. They allow you to learn by doing, integrating knowledge right into your muscle memory—something traditional manuals can’t deliver. With SAMSON’s tutorials, users don’t have to switch back and forth between external documentation. Instead, helpful guidance is delivered inside the interface itself. You’ll see contextual tips in the viewport, step-by-step instructions based on your actions, and immediate feedback if you go off track.
How to access them
To launch these tutorials in the SAMSON interface, follow these simple steps:
- In the top menu, go to Help > Tutorials
- Choose any available tutorial from the list
- Click Start tutorial and you’re guided through each task
The tutorials range in complexity and topic—from basic software navigation to hands-on interaction with molecules, structures, or simulations. If at any point you want to exit a tutorial, you can simply close the tutorial tip window from the top-right corner of the viewport. Restarting is just as easy through the Help menu.
What makes this different?
One subtle but powerful benefit of SAMSON’s tutorials is that they offer contextual advice specific to your working session. Instead of giving abstract theory or fixed screenshots, they adapt to what you do. This means if you’re stuck while trying to create a simulation or visualize a molecular interaction, you’re not alone—the tutorial is, in a way, walking with you through the challenge.
Equally useful is that tutorials can support learning in teaching environments. Instructors who want students to learn SAMSON can simply point them to the tutorial system, without needing to build learning materials from scratch.
Also worth noting: while the tutorials in this section refer to core features of SAMSON, if you’re working with SAMSON Extensions, there’s a separate set of tutorials dedicated to those. You can find them in the SAMSON Extensions Tutorials section of the documentation.
To explore all the available in-app tutorials, visit the full documentation page here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/interactive-tutorials/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.