One of the most common challenges in molecular modeling is communicating dynamic molecular behavior effectively. Whether you’re analyzing conformational changes, studying interactions, or presenting your findings, static images rarely capture the full story. Animations help, but default camera motions can often feel disconnected from the action.
This is where SAMSON’s Follow atoms animation comes in handy. It automatically adjusts the camera to track a set of atoms as they move, maintaining a consistent distance and viewpoint. This can make your molecular animations much easier to interpret, both for yourself and your audience.
Why Follow Atoms?
Imagine you’re simulating a ligand moving through a protein tunnel, or a segment of DNA twisting as it interacts with a protein. In these situations, focusing the camera on the entire molecular system often causes the region of interest to drift out of view. The Follow atoms animation ensures your camera tracks specific atoms, keeping the movement centered and easy to follow.
Getting Started
To create a Follow atoms animation:
- Select the atoms you want to follow. These will define the camera’s target point during the animation.
- Set the camera view as desired for the starting frame.
- In the Animator panel, double-click on the Follow atoms effect. This will insert a camera animation that follows the geometric center of the selected atoms.
- Set the end frame where you want the animation to stop. The camera will move smoothly between the start and end, maintaining the relative distance to the atoms.
Controlling the Motion
The position and orientation of the camera are determined automatically, but you can manually adjust the camera position at start or end frames using animation controllers. The center of focus—the target—will keep tracking the center of the selected atoms regardless.
Need more control? You can use the Inspector to modify key properties:
- Apply to active camera: This option lets you switch which camera should follow the atoms.
- Keep camera upwards: Toggled by whether the grid view is enabled, this helps maintain a consistent “up” direction in your animation.
Example in Action
Here’s a GIF showing how the camera smoothly follows an atom group in motion, maintaining both viewpoint and context throughout the animation:
Final Tip
Remember: you can always adjust the animation frames or change which atoms are selected to refine your result. It’s a small change that can greatly improve the clarity and impact of your molecular presentations.
To learn more, visit the full documentation page here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/follow-atoms/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.