When crafting compelling molecular animations, one of the greatest hurdles for molecular modelers is achieving precise control over animations. Whether you’re visualizing the orbital movement of a molecule or creating a custom camera path, the ability to finely tune animation elements can make all the difference. This is where SAMSON’s animation controllers truly shine. In this blog post, we’ll explore the role of animation controllers in SAMSON and how they can elevate the quality of your molecular presentations.
What are animation controllers?
Animation controllers in SAMSON enhance your ability to edit keyframes and fine-tune the motion of molecules, cameras, and visual models. For example, if you apply the Move camera animation or the Move atoms animation, controllers allow you to adjust keyframe properties directly in the visual Viewport. These features empower you to dictate the exact motion paths, orientations, and focus points of your animations.
How to show and hide controllers
Did you know that you can toggle animation controllers easily in SAMSON? To control their visibility, navigate to the Document view. Right-click on the specific animation and choose Hide/Show animation controllers from the context menu. This functionality allows you to declutter the interface while still accessing controllers when needed.
Adjusting camera positions with controllers
One of the most valuable use cases of animation controllers is adjusting camera positions. Most camera animations, such as Move camera and Orbit camera, come equipped with controllers. These allow you to precisely manage target points, rotation planes, and orientations.
For instance, while fine-tuning a camera’s orbit around a molecular structure, you can directly manipulate the orientation and rotation radius using controllers displayed in the Viewport. To further assist with alignment, SAMSON generates Thumbnails of previous and next camera keyframes, giving you a clear visual guideline for optimal framing. Here’s an example of keyframe camera motion adjustments:
If the controllers are not visible, zoom out using your mouse scroll button or Ctrl/Cmd + -.
Preventing distractions during playback and exports
By default, SAMSON hides animation controllers during presentation playback, movie export, or frame export. This ensures your final animation remains clean and free of distracting elements. However, if you’d like to modify this preference, head to Preferences > Rendering > Presentations.
A streamlined workflow for precision
By leveraging animation controllers in SAMSON, you can bring precision and efficiency to your molecular animations. Whether you’re orchestrating complex camera movements around a protein’s binding site or synchronizing molecule movements with camera pans, controllers provide intuitive and interactive options to streamline your workflow.
To dive deeper into animation controllers and their capabilities, visit the official SAMSON documentation page: Presenting and Animating in SAMSON.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at SAMSON Connect.