Never Lose Sight of Your Molecule: Tracking with a Fixed Camera

When analyzing molecular dynamics, it’s easy to get lost in motion. Molecules may drift across the screen over time, especially during long simulations, forcing modelers to chase them manually or adjust their views repeatedly. This can lead to missing meaningful conformational changes, particularly in the areas of interest. 🌐

What if you could keep your focus exactly where it matters—without having to touch the camera at all? In SAMSON, the Look at atoms animation allows a molecular modeler to do just that: keep the camera locked onto a specific group of atoms, while the system evolves. In other words, the camera doesn’t follow movement with its position—it rotates smoothly to maintain focus. The result is a stable, centered view that lets you see what really matters.

Why this matters

Especially in large molecular systems, parts of interest—like binding pockets, reaction centers, or defects—can shift dramatically during simulations. If your goal is to understand how one specific area behaves in context (but without a moving point of view), the Look at atoms animation provides a way to do that effortlessly.

By anchoring the camera’s target to the geometric center of selected atoms, you maintain a consistent observational frame while the molecular world shifts—much like watching a dancer from a steady camera while they move around the stage.

How to set it up

Getting started with this animation in SAMSON is straightforward:

  1. First, select the atoms you want the camera to track during the animation.
  2. Orient your camera to your preferred viewpoint.
  3. In the Animator’s Track view, choose your starting frame.
  4. Double-click the Look at atoms animation in the Animation panel.
  5. Your camera will now stay in place while automatically adjusting its direction to follow the selected atoms’ position over time.
  6. Adjust the animation’s end frame and tweak the camera targets as needed.

This effect is perfect for creating clear, consistent visualizations—whether for internal analysis, publications, or presentations. Instead of bouncing the camera position just to see a moving molecule part, your visualization stays grounded, focused, and smooth. đŸŽ„

Customizing behavior

If you want more control over how the animation works, SAMSON allows you to inspect it and adjust properties like:

  • Apply to active camera – target a specific camera if you’re using multiple ones.
  • Keep camera upwards – maintain orientation consistency with or without the background grid.

Remember, while the direction of the camera adjusts during the animation to follow your selected atoms, the position stays fixed unless you choose to modify it.

Visual example

Example: the Look at atoms animation

If your goal is clarity during trajectory playback, the Look at atoms animation is a useful tool to keep your analysis stationary, precise, and less visually taxing. It also makes it easier to capture animations that communicate insights effectively to your audience.

To learn more about this feature and how to integrate it into your workflow, visit the official documentation: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/look-at-atoms/

SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.

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