Opening a molecular modeling platform can leave you with a familiar problem: you know what you want to accomplish, but you are not yet sure where to begin. Reading instructions in one window while trying to find the right controls in another can make a simple workflow feel harder than it is.
SAMSON’s interactive tutorials offer a different way to learn: they guide you through a task inside the application. The useful goal is not merely to finish the on-screen steps. It is to become comfortable enough with the workflow to try it again without guidance.
Start with the right kind of practice
Interactive tutorials are optional, and they work best when you already recognize the main areas of the interface. If SAMSON still feels unfamiliar, begin with First look: the interface. The tutorials are intended for practicing a concrete workflow in the application, rather than replacing an introduction to the interface.
It also helps to have some basic familiarity with moving around and loading molecules. The documentation suggests trying tutorials after Moving around and Loading molecules. That order gives you a foundation before you focus on a particular task.
A simple way to get more from a tutorial
- Choose a task you want to understand. A tutorial is most useful when its workflow matches something you want to do, rather than being an item to complete just for the sake of completion.
- Launch it inside SAMSON. Go to Help > Tutorials, select a tutorial, and click Start tutorial.
- Follow the guidance at a deliberate pace. Treat the tutorial as practice. Notice the actions involved and how they relate to the interface areas you have already explored.
- Try to recall the workflow afterward. Ask yourself whether you can repeat the demonstrated task without the tutorial window. If not, that is useful information: you know which part to revisit.
- Use a guide page when you need a reference. The goal is not to memorize every detail. It is to know how to find help for the same task when you need it again.
This approach can make guided learning less passive. Instead of clicking through and moving on, you leave with a clearer sense of what you can do independently and what still needs a reference.
Pause or begin again whenever you need
You do not have to finish a tutorial in one sitting. To stop an interactive tutorial, close its tip window in the top-right corner of the Viewport. If you want to practice from the beginning later, return to Help > Tutorials and restart it. Restarting is a practical option when you want another attempt without relying on what you remember from the first pass.
Choose the next kind of help
If your next goal is to work with your own structures, continue with Loading molecules. If you want assistant-led help with questions, commands, selections, or scripts, explore SAMSON AI. For tutorials focused on SAMSON Extensions, see SAMSON Extensions Tutorials.
For the full instructions on starting, stopping, and restarting built-in tutorials, learn more in the Interactive tutorials documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.