Working with complex molecular systems often means working with complex visuals. In tools like SAMSON, being able to direct attention to a specific region of your model can make a real difference—whether it’s for analysis, teaching, or presentation. One of the challenges molecular modelers frequently face is how to zoom smoothly into a part of the system without an abrupt change of perspective. That’s where the Dolly camera animation can help.
Unlike the Zoom camera effect—which keeps a single target and moves the camera forward—the Dolly camera adjustment also lets you shift the target point of the camera during the animation. This creates a much more flexible, cinematic movement that feels natural, especially when you want to direct attention as you dive deeper into a structure.
Why Dolly Instead of Zoom?
Imagine you need to go from a general overview of a protein to highlighting a catalytic site. If you simply zoom in, your focus point remains static. But what if the area of interest isn’t perfectly centered? The result might be a zoom straight past your target or an off-screen destination. With the Dolly camera, you’re not just zooming—you’re actively guiding the camera and its point of interest simultaneously.
Setting Up a Dolly Camera Animation
To get started, open the Animator in SAMSON:
- Go to the Animator’s Track view to choose your start frame.
- Orient your camera to the desired view for beginning the animation.
- In the Animation panel, double-click on Dolly camera.
- Set the end frame, then orient the end position appropriately—it can have a different camera position and new target point.
The system now interpolates a transition between start and end. You can always reposition frames after the fact, should you want to fine-tune timing.
Additional Controls and Flexibility
The Dolly camera effect isn’t just movement—it also gives control over:
- Target point position: You can independently adjust where the focus shifts during animation.
- Camera position and orientation: By inspecting the effect, you can switch between applying it to the active camera or a different one.
- Interpolation curves: Use an Easing curve to create smooth acceleration/deceleration in the animation pathway.
If the grid is turned on in your workspace, the target orientation can also be locked to this grid by enabling the Keep camera upwards option. This helps maintain consistent horizons when you’re working with aligned models like membrane proteins or crystalline systems.
Making the Most of It
This functionality becomes even more powerful in combination with visual effects like Fog or Depth-of-field. Since they also depend on the camera’s focus and targeting, the Dolly camera gives you more precise control over what the audience sees and where visual effects are centered.
If you’re preparing a presentation, creating teaching material, or simply analyzing a system with fine detail, the Dolly camera function can save time and help remove disorientation for your viewers.
To learn more about the Dolly camera animation and how to use it effectively, visit the full 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.