A molecular presentation can show atoms moving, but the motion is easy to lose as a useful result if you only capture the starting and ending structures. When you need to preserve the trajectory produced by one or more animations, SAMSON’s Record path animation can record atom positions along the presentation and add the resulting path to your document.
This is useful when you want to inspect or reuse the movement created by animations such as Assemble, Dock, Move atoms, or Simulate. The key is to treat recording as part of the animation sequence—not as an afterthought.
Put the recorder after the motion
The Animator executes animations from the top down. So, add Record path after the animations whose movement you want to capture. If the recorder is placed before them, it will not be in the right position in the sequence to record their resulting motion.
To add it, double-click Record path in the Animation panel of the Animator. Its keyframe is placed at the current frame; move that keyframe if you need recording to begin at a different point. Keyframes can be moved later, which makes it possible to adjust the recording interval as you refine your presentation.
Use the track as a progress check
The track gives you a quick visual indication of what has happened. A green segment means positions have been recorded at that point in the presentation. A red segment means they have not yet been recorded or have become invalid.
That distinction helps with a common workflow problem: assuming a trajectory is complete simply because the presentation has been set up. Play the presentation and check the track. If it is not fully green, the path has not been recorded across the whole interval, or some recorded positions are no longer valid. Treat the color as a progress check before creating the Path node.
Turn the recording into a Path node
Once the presentation has played and the Record path track is fully green, create the corresponding Path node in the document. You can do this from either the animation’s Inspector by clicking Create path, or from the Animator by right-clicking the Record path animation and choosing Create path.
A practical sequence is: place Record path after the motion-producing animations; play the presentation; verify that the track is fully green; then create the Path node. This separates capturing the motion from adding the resulting path to the document, and gives you a clear point at which to check that recording is complete.
Keep recording enabled only when needed
Recording can be enabled or disabled in the animation’s Inspector, or by right-clicking the animation in the Animator and changing Enable recording. The documentation notes that disabling recording can help performance—for example, while you are still working on the presentation, or after the complete path has been recorded and will not be changed. When recording is disabled, the animation controllers are darkened.
In short: sequence the recorder after the motion, use the green and red track to verify progress, and create the Path node only after recording is complete. For more details, see the Record path documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.