In molecular modeling and visualization, how the system is presented often matters as much as the science behind it. Whether you’re preparing a presentation for a paper, a lecture, or just sharing something interesting with colleagues, dynamic camera movements can significantly enhance clarity. One common pain point is how to shift focus dynamically between molecular regions, especially when zooming into a binding site or tracking a ligand’s path. This is where SAMSON’s Dolly camera animation becomes particularly useful.
The Dolly camera creates a smooth dolly effect by adjusting both the camera’s position and its target point between two frames, allowing you to simulate a cinematic move-in or pull-back around your molecular model. Unlike simple zooming—which only changes the camera’s distance to a fixed target—the dolly animation allows you to change both where the camera is and what it’s looking at. This can be particularly helpful when combining camera movement with visual effects like fog or depth-of-field.
When and why to use Dolly camera animations?
Let’s say you’re showing a large macromolecular assembly and want to focus in on a pocket or functional site. Using the Dolly camera animation gives you greater control over the viewing path, letting you direct attention dynamically instead of jumping abruptly. Since both the camera position and the focus point can change, it can reveal molecular features more gradually and intuitively.
How to add and customize a Dolly camera animation in SAMSON
Here’s a step-by-step overview:
- Set the start frame: In the Animator’s Track view, move to the frame where you want your camera movement to begin. Orient the view manually to get your starting position.
- Add the Dolly camera effect: In the Animation panel, double-click on Dolly camera. It creates an animation keyframe at the current point in time.
- Set the end frame: Move forward in the timeline and orient the camera where you want it to end. The Dolly animation will interpolate both the camera’s position and target over this time span.
Further adjustments
You can also inspect the animation to:
- Apply the animation to a different (non-active) camera.
- Control whether the camera keeps its upwards orientation, which is useful when the grid is on or off.
- Choose an Easing curve to create smoother or more expressive animations.
Visual example
Here’s a short demonstration of the Dolly camera in action:
Final thoughts
The Dolly camera effect is a small but powerful tool to improve molecular storytelling. By guiding the viewer’s eye intentionally from one region of interest to another, you can make complex structures easier to understand and more engaging to watch. It’s especially effective when paired with textual narration or other on-screen annotations.
To learn more about using the Dolly camera and other animation tools in SAMSON, visit the official documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/dolly-camera/.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.