When creating molecular animations, there’s often a fine balance between aesthetic fluidity and scientific clarity. A small but recurring challenge arises when a researcher wants to zoom into a particular region of a molecular system without shifting the overall perspective or camera focus. Rotations or unwanted re-centering can distract from the scientific message or make multi-step transitions difficult to interpret.
This is where SAMSON’s Zoom camera animation effect becomes particularly useful. Designed to simulate a zoom-in effect by modifying only the camera’s distance from the target point — without changing where that camera is looking — this animation is a practical solution to a specific pain: focusing in on one region of a system without introducing undesired motion or warping the context around the region of interest.
What the Zoom Camera Does (and Doesn’t Do)
The Zoom camera animation in SAMSON adjusts the camera’s position between the start and end frames but maintains a fixed target point. That means the camera will move closer or farther from the target, achieving a zoom-in or zoom-out effect, while keeping its gaze locked on the same center of the view. This is different from the Dolly camera animation, which allows different target points during the animation and can yield more complex or cinematic transitions.
This subtle distinction becomes important when rendering molecular data with depth-of-field and fog effects. Since both these rendering effects are linked to the camera’s target point, keeping the target stable ensures consistency. You don’t want a fog layer to suddenly drift or the moleculuar focus to blur unpredictably — with Zoom camera, such risks are minimized.
How to Add the Zoom Camera Effect
To add this effect in your animation sequence:
- Choose the start frame in the Animator’s Track View and orient the camera as desired.
- Double-click the Zoom camera animation effect in the Animation panel of the Animator.
- Adjust the end frame as needed. You can easily reposition start or end frames later.
Fine-Tuning the Animation
Once the effect is added, you can refine its behavior by inspecting its properties. A few useful customizations include:
- Apply to active camera: This option ensures the animation affects the current camera. Turn it off if you’re animating a specific camera other than the active one.
- Keep camera upwards: This tells SAMSON whether to maintain an upright orientation — which may affect behavior depending on whether the grid is visible.
- Easing curve: This controls how the camera moves from frame to frame. Want a quick zoom-in with a soft stop? Choose a non-linear easing curve to create that effect.
Adjusting Positions After Creation
You can always further refine the camera’s start and end positions using the animation controllers. Adjust the distance, or even the target point itself, via the animation adjustment tools.
Summary
If you’re aiming to draw attention to a specific region of a molecular system—perhaps the binding site of a ligand or a localized interaction zone—while keeping other scene elements consistent for contextual clarity, then Zoom camera is a reliable, precise, and efficient tool for the job. It’s especially helpful when combined with rendering effects that depend on a stable target point, like depth-of-field or fog.
To learn more, visit the original documentation page: Zoom camera — SAMSON Documentation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.