Controlling Perspectives with Camera Animations in SAMSON

One challenge that comes up again and again in molecular modeling is how to clearly communicate structural insights to others. Whether you’re preparing a presentation, building a tutorial, or creating a publication-quality video, controlling the camera’s motion is essential. This is where camera animations in SAMSON can make a big difference.

Camera animations in SAMSON offer several ways to guide viewers through your molecular scene and emphasize exactly what they should focus on. Rather than leaving the camera static or manually adjusting views, you can program smooth transitions, orbit around molecules, zoom in on active sites, or follow interactions dynamically.

What can you do with camera animations?

Here are the main types of camera animations you can use in SAMSON:

Orbit camera: Perform a circular movement around a target. Useful for giving viewers a 360-degree view of a structure.
Move camera: Translate the camera from one position to another.
Zoom camera: Zoom in or out to highlight atomic-level detail or show an entire molecular system.
Dolly camera: Similar to zooming, but the camera itself moves forward or backward.
Truck camera: Move the camera laterally (side to side).
Pedestal camera: Move the camera vertically up or down.
Hold camera: Keep the camera stationary for a defined duration during an animation sequence.
Record path / Play path: Create custom camera trajectories by recording the camera motion and then replaying it within presentations.

Why does this matter?

Imagine you’re presenting a ligand docking simulation. Instead of cutting from one static view to the next, you can:

Start with a wide orbit around the protein-ligand complex (using Orbit camera).
Zoom into the binding pocket (Zoom camera).
Pause the camera to add explanation (Hold camera).
Follow the ligand as it docks using Play path or Move camera.

These animations help your audience stay engaged and understand spatial relationships better—all without needing to manually change the view in real time.

How to access camera animations

You can create and manage all camera animations through the Animation panel in the SAMSON Animator. From here, you can insert, organize, and preview the animations you want to include in your molecular presentations or movies.

If you’re new to this functionality, this short video tutorial walks you through the basics of creating animations in SAMSON—including how to use camera controls effectively.

Here’s a preview of the Animation Panel in SAMSON, where these tools come together:

Beyond camera motion

While camera animations are important, keep in mind that you can combine them with other animation types. For instance, you might use Appear to show a ligand as the camera zooms, or Pulse to highlight a binding residue. The full list of animation types can help you build more complex and informative visual sequences.

To explore the full list of supported animations—including camera and non-camera actions—visit the SAMSON Animations Documentation.

SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.