When telling the story of a molecular system—whether for scientific communication, education, or personal insight—how you move the camera is often just as important as what you’re showing. If you’ve ever felt limited by static views or cumbersome setups when creating molecular movies, you’re not alone.
SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, provides a visual and intuitive way to build dynamic presentations, complete with various camera animations to guide the viewer’s attention. A well-placed zoom, an orbit around a binding site, or even a smooth trajectory around a macromolecule can dramatically enhance how a molecular model is experienced.
Why Camera Control Matters
When presenting molecular data, static images lack context, especially in complex 3D environments. Camera animations help you:
- Showcase intricate binding pockets from different angles
- Follow the action in simulation trajectories
- Create focus transitions between molecular domains
- Produce cinematic molecular walkthroughs, ideal for talks, papers, or outreach
Available Camera Animations in SAMSON
SAMSON offers a variety of camera movements. Here are the key ones and how they help:
- Orbit camera: Move around a system in circular paths. Perfect for general views.
- Follow atoms: Let the camera automatically track a set of atoms—ideal for observing dynamic structural changes.
- Move camera: Define custom motion paths using intuitive keyframes and control points.
- Zoom camera and Dolly camera: Used for fluid zoom-ins with or without altering the camera’s target point.
- Hold camera: Fix a viewpoint, useful for anchoring visual consistency across frames.
To help visualize these effects, SAMSON includes a real-time Track view and interactive camera controllers right in the viewport:
Creating Your First Camera Path
Here’s how to start playing with camera animation:
- In SAMSON, open the Animator panel (Interface > Animator).
- Select an initial view using the mouse controls in the viewport.
- From the Animation panel, double-click on Orbit camera or another animation to insert it.
- Use the Track view to adjust keyframes, and optionally edit keyframe camera positions directly in the viewport.
Tip: While dragging the controllers, thumbnails appear at the bottom of the viewport to help frame the perfect shot.
Maintain Consistency with Hold Camera
Because the active camera can be changed while working on your document, it’s recommended to use Hold camera at frames where no other camera animations are present. This ensures a predictable and consistent viewpoint across your presentation.
Exporting Your Movie
Once satisfied with your camera choreography, export the whole presentation to a movie via the Animator (Save movie > choose mp4, gif, or webm). Combine this with structural animations or highlighting effects, and you’ve just built an informative molecular walkthrough.
Learn more on the original documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/presenting/.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.