When working with dynamic molecular trajectories, such as protein-ligand interactions or conformational changes, it’s easy to lose sight of the region you care about. As structures evolve, atoms drift, and camera positions remain fixed, researchers often end up missing the details they were originally focused on.
SAMSON provides a simple but powerful solution to this common frustration: the Look at atoms animation effect. This feature allows the camera to continuously target a group of atoms, ensuring that the part of the system you selected always stays in the center of view — even as it moves. All this happens without any change to the camera’s actual position. This way, you get smooth, consistent visualization of what matters most.
Why this matters
Let’s say you’re animating a molecular dynamics trajectory. A ligand moves through a binding pocket, or perhaps a loop region of a protein undulates dramatically. You want to get a close look at that specific element, and you’d prefer not to wrestle with the camera on every frame.
With the Look at atoms animation effect, you simply select the atoms you’re interested in and set the animation—SAMSON takes care of the rest. The camera will track the geometric center of your selection throughout the animation, even if the atoms themselves move considerably. The camera stays still, but the view always adjusts to keep your atoms centered.
How it works
To apply the effect:
- Select the atoms you want the camera to focus on.
- Position the camera as desired using the usual view controls.
- Choose the start frame in the Animator’s Track view.
- Double-click Look at atoms in the Animation panel.
The camera target will dynamically follow the geometric center of the chosen atoms between keyframes. You can then adjust the end frame as needed, and the animation will interpolate smoothly while always keeping your atoms in sight.
Customizing the behavior
By default, the effect applies to the active camera, and uses its current target as a reference. However, you can inspect the animation to:
- Change whether it applies to the active camera or another one.
- Check or uncheck Keep camera upwards, which affects behavior depending on whether the grid is on or off.
Looking closer, consistently
One subtle but powerful benefit of this animation is that it helps produce cleaner visualizations for presentations or publications. Instead of distracting camera motions or off-center regions of interest, viewers can follow molecular motion with clarity and context.
And if your selected atoms are part of a large or flexible system, like a long polymer or nanostructure, keeping them centered helps you observe even small configurational changes without needing to reorient manually.
To learn more, visit the original documentation page here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/look-at-atoms/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.