A molecular structure can be difficult to explain when several components overlap in the same view. You may want to show which group sits where, reveal a component that is hidden behind another, or give viewers a clearer sense of how parts relate. Moving objects by hand can take time—and it can be hard to keep the rest of the scene still.
SAMSON’s Undock animation offers a presentation-focused way to separate groups of atoms or meshes from their current, docked positions. It automatically computes positions away from those starting positions. The animation can help make a crowded structure easier to inspect without requiring you to manually position every animated group.
Choose what stays and what moves
The selection order determines the roles of the nodes: select at least two structural nodes or meshes, with the first node serving as the static receptor and the other selected nodes being animated. This is worth checking before you add the effect. If the wrong node is first, the animation may not communicate the separation you intended.
If your receptor consists of several nodes, put them in a folder and select that folder first. The other nodes you select can then be the groups that move. This is useful when the part you want to keep still is represented by multiple pieces in the document rather than one node.
If nothing is selected, SAMSON will try to guess which nodes the animation should apply to. For a presentation where you need control over what stays still and what moves, making the selection explicitly is the clearer approach.
Add the effect, then review the result
- Select the receptor first, followed by the nodes or meshes you want to animate.
- In the Animator, open the Animation panel and double-click Undock.
- Review the result between the animation’s two keyframes, and move the keyframes as needed to place the animation in the desired part of your presentation.
- If the separation needs adjustment, inspect the animation and change its amplitude in the Inspector.
The amplitude is computed automatically when the animation is created, so reviewing it is a useful step—especially when the initial separation is not right for your view. You can also change how parameters are interpolated between frames by adjusting the animation’s Easing curve. Keyframe placement and easing affect how the animation unfolds over time; the amplitude controls the movement’s extent.
Make the movement serve the explanation
Before adding Undock, decide what you want the audience to notice. If the goal is to reveal a particular group, keep the receptor selection clear and animate only the relevant nodes. If the scene contains several receptor components, group them first so that the static part is represented by a single folder selection. Then inspect the animated result in context: a separation that is easy to read in one view may be less useful in another.
Undock is an animation for presenting a separation from a docked arrangement. Treat the movement as a visual aid: it can clarify which components are being shown, but the animation itself should not be presented as evidence of a physical process or a predicted molecular trajectory.
For more details, see the Undock animation documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.