If you’ve ever created a molecular animation and wished for more control over how the camera moves through your system, you’re not alone. Many molecular modelers run into limitations when trying to zoom in smoothly or direct attention to a specific region—especially when special effects like depth of field or fog are involved. A common issue is that the camera feels stiff or too focused on a single point, which limits how immersive or informative an animation can be.
This is where SAMSON’s Dolly camera animation can really help. Unlike a simple zoom effect that keeps both the origin and target point fixed, the Dolly camera animation lets you smoothly transition the camera’s position and its target point between two frames. This opens up ways to design flythroughs, dynamic zooms, or reveal sequences that feel more natural and look more professional.
What is a Dolly Camera?
In the context of SAMSON, the Dolly camera simulates a real-world dolly movement: the camera physically moves closer to the subject while also adjusting its focus point. This is particularly useful in molecular modeling when you want to focus on specific parts of a large molecular system and maintain control of visual effects like Depth-of-field.
Real-World Use Case
Imagine you’re visualizing a protein-ligand interaction and want to highlight the binding site. With the Dolly camera, you can start with a wide-angle view of the entire protein, then travel inward—modifying both position and viewpoint—to focus directly on the binding region. This gliding motion helps viewers intuitively follow what’s happening in the scene.
How to Use the Dolly Camera in SAMSON
- Choose a start frame in the Animator’s Track view. Set the camera orientation as you want it to be initially.
- Double-click the Dolly camera effect in the Animation panel.
- Move to the end frame and set the new desired position and orientation for the camera.
The tool allows you to freely define how both camera and target move, unlike the Zoom camera animation, which fixes the point of interest.
Adjusting Parameters
If needed, you can inspect the animation to:
- Apply the animation to a different camera.
- Ensure that the camera keeps an upward orientation relative to the scene grid.
- Change the interpolation behavior with the Easing curve to determine how speed and motion develop across frames.
Having this level of fine-tuned control means your molecular animations can communicate your insights more clearly and look more polished.
Bonus Tip
You can adjust both the position and target of the camera at any point by using the animation controllers. This allows further tweaking of the path and focus of your animation, even after placing it in the Animator timeline.
To learn more, visit the official documentation page: Dolly Camera Animation in SAMSON.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.