Molecular modeling software can be powerful, but also overwhelming—especially when you’re trying to learn new workflows quickly. Whether you’re a graduate student getting started, or an experienced researcher exploring new modules, the learning curve often feels like an uphill climb.
One common frustration is this: you install a molecular modeling platform to explore a specific technique or workflow—say protein-ligand docking or visualization—and then spend more time searching the documentation than actually modeling. Short videos and lengthy PDFs help to some extent, but they take you out of the context of your own models and platform interface.
Enter interactive tutorials directly inside SAMSON. These in-app guides are a useful tool for anyone looking to learn specific tasks in SAMSON—without leaving the environment, switching tabs, or even remembering complex command sequences.
What Are SAMSON’s Interactive Tutorials?
SAMSON includes a set of guided tutorials that run within the application. Instead of providing static instructions, these tutorials walk you through tasks in real-time using overlays, tips, and step-by-step explanations on the screen.
You can access them from the main interface by navigating to Help > Tutorials. Simply select a tutorial that fits your goal and press Start tutorial. The system will then guide you through the process interactively, using your own interface and even your own models if you choose.
Why It’s a Big Deal
- No context switching: You learn directly in the SAMSON interface, which helps reinforce knowledge while you’re completing actual tasks.
- Tailored assistance: The tutorials are specific to SAMSON functions and include common workflows—providing structure for beginners, and reminders for advanced users.
- Restart anytime: You can always restart a tutorial from Help > Tutorials, so if you want to repeat an action or refresh your memory months later, it’s just a few clicks away.
- Exit when you want: Not in the mood or need to re-focus? Simply close the tutorial tip window in the top-right corner of the viewport.
Use Cases
Say you’re trying SAMSON for the first time and aren’t quite sure how to navigate or create molecular structures. An interactive tutorial gets you hands-on right away. Or say you’re exploring a new SAMSON Extension for molecular dynamics—you can use a related tutorial (see the list in SAMSON Extensions Tutorials) to get familiar with the workflow fast.
For educators, it’s a helpful tool for introducing students to modeling software without investing time in preparing extra teaching material—students can learn things like rendering molecules or performing basic simulations independently.
Want Something More Advanced?
If you’re looking to extend SAMSON or learn specific modules, the tutorials for SAMSON Extensions offer an additional layer of guidance tailored to advanced capabilities.
You can start exploring today by opening SAMSON and going to Help > Tutorials.
For more information and a full list of available tutorials, you can visit the official 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.