Creating clear and compelling molecular animations can be challenging, especially when you’re trying to smoothly follow a system across frames. One common issue molecular modelers face is making camera movements that feel natural and professional, especially when visualizing structural changes or transitions in a way that is easy to follow. If your camera jump-cuts or rotates unexpectedly, your molecular story might get lost along the way.
In this post, we’ll explore a simple animation technique in SAMSON that helps you create smooth and intuitive camera movements: the Truck camera animation. This type of animation lets you move the camera’s target and position together in a horizontal direction, preserving the viewing angle and improving the overall flow of your scene.
What is the Truck Camera Animation?
The Truck camera animation moves the view laterally—similar to how a camera operator might track a subject moving across a stage. Both the camera’s position and its target point are adjusted in parallel, so the viewing direction doesn’t change dramatically. This minimizes disorientation and keeps the focus on your molecular system.
It’s especially helpful when showcasing systems that extend in a particular spatial direction, such as long polymer chains, membrane models, or molecular simulations across surfaces. By smoothly adjusting both the view center and the position, you’re ensuring your audience follows the intended perspective without abrupt visual transitions.
How to Add a Truck Camera Animation in SAMSON
Here’s how to set this up in SAMSON:
- Open the Animator’s Track view and select your desired start frame.
- Manually orient the camera as you’d like for the start of the animation.
- Double-click the Truck camera effect in the Animation panel.
- SAMSON records the start keyframe, then shifts both the target and camera position horizontally for the end keyframe.
- Set the end frame anywhere you’d like—it controls how long the animation lasts.
Tweak Behavior with Parameters
Several parameters help tailor the Truck camera behavior:
- Apply to active camera: By default, the animation affects the active camera, but you can inspect the animation and change this.
- Keep camera upwards: Want to prevent vertical tilting? Check this option. Its effect depends on the grid visibility—so if your scene contains manipulations involving the display grid, this matters.
- Easing curves: Smoothly interpolate camera movement between frames. Fast at the start, slow at the end—or keep it linear. You’ll find these under Easing curve.
Need to Adjust the View Later?
You can always fine-tune the camera positions using animation controllers after creating the animation. Note: The Truck camera animation includes limitations on how far these positions can be modified (since both camera and its target are linked).
This approach is highly useful when exporting animations or presentations and helps keep the camera behavior consistent and less distracting. Consider combining Truck camera with Pedestal camera animations (for vertical movements) for even finer control.
To learn more about using the Truck camera in SAMSON, visit the full documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/truck-camera/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.