When working on complex molecular visualizations, subtle camera movements can make a big difference. Whether you’re constructing a video for a publication, a presentation, or just trying to visually convey a spatial property of your system, camera animations help guide the viewer’s attention. One common issue faced by molecular modelers is how to zoom in on a region of interest without introducing unnatural camera paths or fixed viewpoints. This is where the Dolly camera animation in SAMSON can help.
If you’ve ever wanted to zoom in on a specific binding site or structural domain while changing your viewpoint smoothly, the Dolly camera animation offers much-needed flexibility compared to simpler zoom effects. Unlike the Zoom camera animation that has only one target point, the Dolly camera animation allows you to interpolate both the camera position and its target point between two frames. This results in a fluid, cinematic zoom effect that keeps your viewer focused exactly where you want.
Why use Dolly over Zoom?
Let’s say you’re showcasing the interior of a complex molecular machine. A zoom might bring you closer, but you’ll still be centered on the same target. If your region of interest shifts slightly—say, from the entrance to a binding pocket down to the active site—you need more than just a zoom: you need a dolly movement, adjusting the direction of view during the zoom to reflect context changes.
How to set up a Dolly camera animation in SAMSON
1. First, navigate to the start frame you want in your animation using the Animator’s Track view.
2. Adjust and orient the camera as needed using SAMSON’s navigation controls—this will serve as your initial view.
3. Then, in the Animation panel, double-click the Dolly camera animation option.
4. Set the end frame and adjust the final position and target point of the camera. You can always reposition these frames later as needed.
Advanced Adjustments
Want even more control? You can fine-tune your Dolly animation using several parameters:
- Camera selection: By default, the effect applies to the active camera. You can change this by inspecting the animation and unchecking Apply to active camera.
- Grid dependency: The behavior may change depending on whether the grid display is active. This is governed by the Keep camera upwards option.
- Easing curve: Adjust how the camera transitions occur between frames by editing the animation’s easing curve. Gradual, sudden, accelerated—you’re in control.
Precision Through Motion
Being able to control both where the camera is and what it’s looking at is critical when presenting detailed molecular mechanisms. The Dolly camera animation in SAMSON solves the problem of fixed-point zooming by introducing dual-interpolation: of position and target. This gives you much more room to tell a visual story—one that zooms, pans, and informs.
If you’re trying to show the relationship between a ligand and its receptor or the conformational change in a protein upon binding, the Dolly camera can help draw focus exactly where it needs to be.
To learn more about using the Dolly camera animation in SAMSON, visit the full documentation page here: 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.