A common challenge faced by molecular modelers — especially those preparing visuals for presentations or publications — is how to provide dynamic, smooth, and clear overviews of complex molecular structures. Static viewpoints often fail to capture the full spatial arrangement of biomolecular systems, particularly in assemblies, supramolecular architectures, and large crystalline frameworks. 🔄
If you’re using SAMSON, there’s a simple yet powerful solution built right in: Orbit camera animations. This feature allows you to automatically rotate the camera around the molecule or assembly you’re studying, helping you create seamless visual experiences with minimal effort.
Why Orbiting?
Orbiting animations help highlight spatial relationships between components in a structure, which is incredibly useful when trying to communicate with others — especially in classrooms, meetings, or papers. They draw the viewer’s eye around the molecule, allowing a better understanding of depth, alignments, and symmetry.
Adding an Orbit Camera Animation
To begin, you should first set your preferred camera orientation in SAMSON. Then, head to the Animation panel within the Animator.
- Double-click Orbit camera in the Animation panel to add the effect.
- Adjust the length of the animation by setting the end frame.
Pro tip: If you’ve seen documentation or videos using an “Animation menu,” note that this menu has been deprecated. Now, all animation features are accessible through the Animator panel.
Key Properties and Customization
By default, the orbit will rotate around the current target point of the active camera. This target point typically corresponds to the center of the screen view. You can modify this behavior through the Inspector for enhanced control over the rotation.
The rotation plane adapts depending on whether the grid is shown:
- If the grid is off, the orbit occurs horizontally around the target point.
- If the grid is on, the orbit aligns parallel to the grid plane for better view consistency.
You can refine how the camera moves between frames using various easing curves, influencing the animation smoothness and pacing.
Manual Fine-Tuning: More Than Just a Spin
Besides automated rotation, SAMSON includes detailed controllers to manually fine-tune animation behavior — including the target point and rotation path. These appear as visual guides in the viewport that display active keyframes. If you don’t see them right away, try zooming out using your scroll wheel or Ctrl/Cmd + -.
As you position your camera, SAMSON automatically generates thumbnails along the timeline to help you track and organize viewpoints quickly. This is particularly helpful when creating scenes with multiple steps or orientations.
Practical Applications
Ready-made SAMSON presentations like the 1AVX – Orbit around assembly or NU1000 – Fly around showcase how orbiting can enhance molecular storytelling. Whether it’s for a protein-ligand complex or a porous material, orbit animations help guide eyes through structure and symmetry with clarity.
To learn more about creating orbit camera animations in SAMSON, visit the official documentation:
https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/orbit-camera/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.