For many molecular modelers and scientific presenters, creating impactful animations of molecular mechanisms or simulation results is a crucial part of communicating their work. But there is often a key element missing: control.
In traditional presentations, slides let you decide when to pause and explain—tailoring your pace based on the audience’s feedback. But what if you’ve embedded a molecular animation inside your presentation? Having the animation rush from start to finish without the chance to breathe and elaborate can be less than ideal. This is where SAMSON’s Stop animation comes in: a simple but powerful tool to break your animation into manageable, slide-like moments.
What is the Stop Animation?
The Stop animation in SAMSON is a timeline event that halts your animation automatically at a specified frame. When the animation reaches that frame, it pauses until the user resumes it manually. This allows presenters to explain what viewers are seeing, before moving to the next stage of the animation.
To resume after a stop, simply press the Space bar or click the play button in the Animator’s controls. This makes it easy to transition from one key moment to the next—just like flipping through slides.
When Can You Use It?
- 🧬 Demonstrating molecular binding events: Pause at key stages to explain interactions before proceeding.
- 🌡️ Sequential reaction steps: Stop after each reaction phase to discuss energetic or structural changes.
- 🎓 Educational videos or tutorials: Break content into digestible moments with voiceovers or live explanations.
How to Add a Stop in SAMSON
- Open the Animator in SAMSON.
- In the Animation panel, locate the Stop animation effect.
- Double-click it to add a keyframe at your current timeline position.
- If needed, drag the keyframe to move it to a different position in your animation timeline.
This simplicity lets you focus more on the science you’re communicating rather than the technical steps of presentation assembly.
Note
You can always move the keyframes of the animation.
Why This Matters
In live presentations, timing is everything. Being able to pause automatically gives presenters an effective way to match their explanation to the visual complexity of their animations. It also avoids the awkward experience of stopping and replaying video files in external players. With SAMSON’s built-in tools, every part of the animation timeline can become an intentional teaching moment.
Learn more in the official documentation here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/stop/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.