When working with complex molecular trajectories, a common challenge for researchers and molecular modelers is maintaining visual focus on a specific region of the system over time. Imagine you’re simulating a protein-ligand binding event or monitoring the conformational dynamics of a loop — you don’t want to follow the entire molecule, just observe how a particular part behaves, while keeping the rest of the environment in a familiar frame.
The Look at atoms animation in SAMSON offers a simple yet effective solution: it keeps the camera position fixed, but adjusts the camera’s target point to continuously look at a group of atoms — those you selected when setting up the animation. This gives you a stable perspective and ensures your region of interest remains centered on screen, even as it moves.
Why this matters 🎯
Shifting camera positions can be disorienting, especially during presentations or when compiling animations for papers or classes. A stable viewpoint helps viewers focus on the structural or functional changes rather than adjusting to a new camera angle every few frames.
How it works
Here’s a quick overview of how to set up a Look at atoms animation in SAMSON:
- Select the atoms you’re interested in. This could be a residue, ligand, domain, or any combination of atoms you want the camera to look at.
- Set your desired camera orientation — this will define how you see the system throughout the animation.
- Open the Animator’s Track view, choose a start frame, and double-click on the Look at atoms animation effect in the Animation panel.
- Set your end frame. Between these frames, SAMSON automatically updates the camera’s target point to follow the geometric center of the selected atoms, without changing the physical position of the camera.
Notably, this animation doesn’t affect the camera’s coordinates — only the direction it’s pointing in. So while the camera stays in place, its view shifts to keep your selected atoms in focus.
Tips for better control
What makes this feature adaptable is how you can tweak its behavior using properties:
- Use the Apply to active camera option if you want to direct the focus through a specific camera view.
- Toggle Keep camera upwards to decide how the camera orientation aligns with the scene grid, especially if your molecule moves freely in three dimensions.
While adjusting camera positions manually can break the continuity of your visualization, Look at atoms offers the perfect balance between stability and focus.
Use cases
The Look at atoms animation is especially helpful when:
- Visualizing flexible loop regions or terminal tails that drift in space
- Tracking ligands entering a binding site without zooming across the system
- Creating educational content where spatial consistency is key
For more details and step-by-step guidance, visit the official documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.