When visualizing large molecular systems, presenting your scenes effectively—whether for a publication or a simple walkthrough—can make a big difference in communication. A common situation many molecular modelers face is the need to guide viewers from a broad view to a specific region of interest without abrupt camera jumps or loss of focal context. The Dolly camera feature in SAMSON provides an intuitive solution to this challenge.
Differing from the typical zoom which just changes the camera’s field of view or moves in a direct line, the Dolly camera animation allows for coordinated changes in both the position of the camera and its target point, providing smooth transitions that feel more like a cinematic move than a mere zoom. This is particularly effective when combined with visual techniques such as Fog or Depth of Field, allowing the user to maintain spatial orientation during animated walkthroughs.
Why use the Dolly camera instead of Zoom?
The main advantage is control. The Zoom camera animation points to a single target and just moves toward it, which may be sufficient for basic transitions. However, if your goal is to:
- Zoom toward a region while also changing what you’re looking at
- Maintain a smooth, context-aware camera motion
- Use depth-based effects that depend on changes in both camera position and target focus
Then Dolly camera is your go-to tool.
Getting Started
To use the Dolly camera animation in SAMSON:
- Open the Animator’s Track view and select your desired starting frame.
- Manually orient the camera/view as you’d like it to begin.
- Double-click on the Dolly camera animation effect from the Animation panel.
- Set the end frame and adjust the camera’s end position and target point.
You can always drag the start and end frames along the timeline later, giving you flexibility to time the motion with other animation elements.
Fine-Tuning Your Animation
You can customize several parameters of the Dolly camera animation:
- Apply to active camera: By default, the animation applies to the active camera, but you can inspect and assign it to any camera in your session.
- Keep camera upwards: If checked, the behavior of the animation will depend on whether the grid is switched on. Useful if your scene orientation depends on a fixed reference frame.
- Easing curve: Control how the animation accelerates or decelerates between frames for more natural camera motion.
Adjusting Camera Targets
Target positions and directions can be easily modified using animation controllers. This is especially handy when you realize mid-animation that a different part of the molecule should become the new center of attention—just move the controller without restarting the setup.
Take a look at this example of the Dolly camera animation, where the camera gently shifts focus and position throughout the scene, preserving both clarity and spatial awareness:
This tool helps you avoid disorienting jumps in camera movement and delivers smoother animations for teaching, presentations, or publications.
To learn more and explore detailed guidance, visit the official documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/dolly-camera/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.