When preparing molecular presentations—whether for a class, your research group, or funding review panels—maintaining your audience’s attention is critical. A smooth animation can help communicate your data more effectively, but what happens when you need time to say something important while the animation is playing?
This is where the Pause animation in SAMSON becomes essential. When visualizing dynamic molecular systems like conformational changes or molecular interactions, it’s often necessary to stop at a key structural configuration and explain what’s happening. Without such a pause, the critical transition might be missed by viewers who can’t absorb the information fast enough.
What Does the Pause Animation Do?
Pause is a simple yet effective animation tool in SAMSON that lets you stop your presentation on a specified frame for a defined duration. Unlike simply hitting a pause button during playback, this is built directly into the animation sequence, allowing for planned pauses at the right moments—so your presentation flows naturally.
For example, imagine you’re showing the docking of a ligand into a protein binding site. You might want to highlight the point just before binding to discuss non-covalent interactions or water displacement. Instead of narrating over a fast-moving animation and risk missing valuable teaching moments, you can use Pause to hold that frame for 10 seconds while explaining.
How to Add a Pause
To add a Pause in SAMSON:
- Open the Animation panel within the Animator.
- Double-click the Pause effect. A keyframe will appear at the current frame. You can drag and drop it to any position in your animation timeline.
- If needed, select the keyframe in the Document view and access the Inspector panel to modify the duration of the pause.
Why This Matters
In live demonstrations or recorded tutorials, viewers benefit from short breaks during critical stages of the animation. These breaks help them:
- Focus attention on key structural features
- Better understand reaction intermediates
- Digest complex changes in molecular configurations
By integrating pauses strategically, you can elevate the clarity of your presentation and prevent cognitive overload in your viewers.
Tips for Effective Use
- Use shorter durations (2-5 seconds) for brief highlights
- Provide longer durations (8-12 seconds) when explaining transitions in detail
- Combine pauses with annotations on screen for added clarity
Every second of a scientific presentation counts. A well-placed pause can make the difference between a confusing presentation and one that resonates.
To learn more about this feature, visit the official Pause animation documentation: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/pause/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.