When working with molecular dynamics simulations or exploring molecular mechanisms, it’s common to want to stay focused on a specific group of atoms as they move. Whether you’re tracking a ligand during binding, following a mobile domain during a conformational change, or visualizing the journey of an ion through a channel, one challenge often arises:
How do you keep the camera centered on your atoms of interest throughout the entire animation?
In many modeling tools, this requires manually adjusting views frame-by-frame, which is both time-consuming and error-prone. Fortunately, SAMSON offers a built-in solution to this exact problem through the Follow atoms camera animation.
What is Follow atoms and why use it?
The Follow atoms animation effect makes the camera dynamically follow a selected group of atoms during an animation. The camera target and position update to maintain a consistent relative distance from these atoms, ensuring that your atoms of interest always stay in the center of the screen — even as they move dramatically.
This is particularly useful when:
- You want to present simulation data clearly to others
- You’re creating educational material or visual reports
- You’re trying to understand how a part of a molecule behaves over time
How to Use It
Here is a step-by-step guide to using the Follow atoms animation effect in SAMSON:
- Select the atoms you want the camera to follow. For example, select a binding site residue or an ion channel segment.
- Orient the view – position the camera how you want it at the start of the animation.
- Go to the Animator’s Track view and set the desired start frame.
- Open the Animation panel and double-click Follow atoms to apply it.
- Move to a future frame in the timeline and set the end frame.
That’s it. The camera will now track the geometric center of your selected atoms throughout the defined frames, keeping them centered in your view.
Customizing Behavior
SAMSON gives users flexibility to customize the animation:
- By default, the effect applies to the active camera. You can change this later by inspecting the animation and toggling the Apply to active camera option.
- You can adjust the camera position while the target still follows the atoms.
- To control vertical camera orientation, use the Keep camera upwards option, which can behave differently based on whether the grid is visible.
Visual Example
Here’s what the Follow atoms effect looks like in action:
Conclusion
The Follow atoms animation is a simple but powerful way to maintain visual focus on mobile regions of molecular systems. Whether you’re creating compelling visuals or doing close analysis, this feature can save time and improve clarity.
Learn more about the Follow atoms feature in the official documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.