One of the biggest challenges molecular modelers face when creating visual presentations of their models is how to guide the audience’s attention smoothly — especially when illustrating binding pathways, conformational changes, or transport channels. A static camera angle just doesn’t do the complexity of molecular systems justice.
That’s where camera animations in SAMSON can make all the difference. SAMSON’s Move camera animation enables modelers to create dynamic flythroughs that follow the molecular story, smoothly transitioning views between regions of interest. The effect is both practical and engaging — and once you learn the workflow, easy to implement.
What is the Move Camera Animation?
The Move camera animation lets you freely define how the camera navigates through your 3D molecular scene. You add keyframes that define camera positions at specific moments in time, and SAMSON interpolates positions in between to create a fluid movement. Think of it as choreographing a short film inside your molecule.
How to Add a Move Camera Animation
Here’s a step-by-step workflow for integrating camera motion smoothly into your presentation:
- Navigate to the desired view using standard camera controls. This will be your starting position.
- In the Animator, go to the frame where this camera position should occur.
- From the Animation panel, double-click on the Move camera animation.
You can continue to add as many keyframes as needed. Just orient the view, move to the correct frame in the timeline, and insert another keyframe by right-clicking on the animation track and selecting Add keyframe.
Refining the Movement
Once your keyframes are set, SAMSON allows nuanced control so that the animation fits your goals:
- Move keyframes along the timeline to adjust timing, making some parts of the motion slower or faster.
- Inspect the animation to apply it to either the current active camera or a specific one you choose.
- Use the Easing curve option to define how velocity changes between keyframes—this lets you simulate acceleration or deceleration.
- Keep camera upwards ensures camera orientation remains consistent. This is especially useful when transitioning over models where disorientation may occur.
Working Example: Explore a Molecular Tunnel
Imagine you want to visualize a ligand’s journey through the active site tunnel of a protein. Create a path with keyframes inside the tunnel, guiding the audience’s view point-by-point through the structure. Combine this with Zoom or Hold Camera effects for moments of pause or focus.
Learn from Sample Presentations
Need inspiration? Several presentations using Move camera are freely available on SAMSON Connect. For example:
With minimal effort, you can make your presentations more intuitive and visually informative, helping colleagues — or your future self — better understand complex molecular environments.
To learn more about the Move camera animation and see detailed examples, visit the official documentation at this page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.