A close-up can make a molecular structure easier to inspect—but changing the camera target at the same time can shift the visual center of the scene. That may be unwelcome when you want to keep the same point of focus for effects such as fog or depth of field.
In SAMSON, the Zoom camera animation addresses this by changing the camera’s position between two frames while leaving its target point unchanged. In practical terms, you can move the view closer to or farther from its existing target without animating that target to a new location. This is useful when you want a closer view of a region while keeping the scene’s focus point consistent.
Build the shot from its starting frame
Start by choosing the animation’s start frame in the Animator’s Track view. Before adding the effect, orient the view and camera the way you want them at the beginning of the shot. This starting composition matters: the Zoom camera animation uses the active camera by default, and its target point is based on that camera’s current target position—the center of the view.
Once the view is set, double-click Zoom camera in the Animator’s Animation panel. Then set the end frame. The animation will interpolate the camera’s position between the start and end frames while retaining the target point. You can move either frame afterward if you need to adjust the timing.
Why keep the target fixed?
When a shot needs to move toward a detail but remain centered on the same point, changing the target as well as the camera position can alter the framing in ways you did not intend. A fixed target can be especially helpful when coordinating the camera move with rendering effects whose appearance depends on the target or view depth. For example, if fog or depth of field is part of the scene, a camera animation that leaves the target unchanged avoids introducing a target-point change as part of this move.
This is different from the Dolly camera animation, which can use different target points at its start and end frames. If the purpose of the shot is to shift what the camera is looking toward, rather than simply change the camera’s position around a fixed target, compare the two approaches before building the animation.
Check the animation’s camera settings
By default, camera animations apply to the active camera. To change that behavior, inspect the animation and adjust Apply to active camera. Also check the Keep camera upwards option if the camera’s behavior should account for whether the grid is on or off; the documentation notes that camera positions may be defined differently depending on the grid state.
For a more controlled transition, adjust the Easing curve, which determines how camera parameters are interpolated between frames. If the resulting framing needs refinement, use the animation controllers to adjust the camera’s target point and positions. A useful workflow is to first establish the composition at the start, set the end frame, and then inspect the result before fine-tuning the camera settings and timing.
For the full instructions, see the Zoom camera documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.