Creating molecular animations often involves guiding the viewer’s attention to a specific region of interest. However, one common challenge is zooming in without inadvertently shifting the focus point or distorting camera effects like fog or depth-of-field. If you’ve ever struggled to maintain a consistent target point while zooming, the Zoom camera animation in SAMSON may be what you need.
Unlike other animation effects that change both the camera’s position and target point, the Zoom camera animation adjusts only the camera’s position between the start and end frames. This means your focus—whether it’s a binding site, a ligand, or a structural motif—stays perfectly fixed while the camera zooms in or out to reveal more detail.
When does this help?
Let’s say you’re using depth-of-field to highlight a docking pose or you’ve fine-tuned fog settings to enhance a macromolecular assembly. Changing the camera’s target while zooming might ruin the effect by shifting the background or misaligning your focus. The Zoom camera effect avoids this entirely by leaving the target untouched. The result is a cleaner, more intentional zoom that preserves all your visual tweaks.
Getting started with Zoom camera
Here’s how to use it effectively:
- In the Animator’s Track View, select your starting frame and position the camera to frame your subject.
- In the Animation panel, double-click the Zoom camera animation effect.
- Move to your desired end frame and adjust the camera position to your zoomed-in or zoomed-out state.
You can always go back and reposition the start and end frames later, so don’t worry about getting it perfect on the first try.
Tips for better control
- Target consistency: Since the target point doesn’t change, you can sync the Zoom camera with effects like Fog or Depth-of-field without needing to reconfigure those effects across frames.
- Grid-aware animations: Under certain conditions, especially when the grid is visible, you may want to ensure the camera stays upright. Use the Keep camera upwards option to maintain orientation stability.
- Interpolation control: Smooth or accelerate the zooming motion by adjusting the Easing curve. This lets you tune the speed or style of the transition.
Adjusting camera positions manually
If you want to fine-tune the trajectory, controllers on the camera path let you tweak both the camera’s position and its target. This lets you subtly guide the viewer’s gaze while keeping elements in the frame consistent.
When to use Zoom camera vs. Dolly camera?
If you need the camera to orbit or refocus during an animation, then the Dolly camera effect is better suited. But if focal stability is more important—such as in comparisons, scene transitions, or when using rendering effects—the Zoom camera is the right choice.
For more technical details and advanced options, visit the official documentation page for the Zoom camera animation: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/zoom-camera/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON here: https://www.samson-connect.net