You’ve arranged a molecular system just right: the important structures are visible, the angle is clear, and the view is ready for a presentation or recording. Then, while working in the document, the camera changes. The resulting animation may still be correct, but viewers can lose their visual bearings as the scene shifts.
The Hold camera animation helps prevent that distraction. It keeps the camera parameters fixed between two frames, giving you a defined, static view for the part of your animation where you want the scene to stay put.
When a fixed view helps
A stable camera is useful when an animation contains intervals without another camera animation. For example, you may want to show a molecular system from one chosen angle while other parts of the presentation continue. Holding the view can also help when you have adjusted the camera during document work and want to preserve a particular composition across a section of the timeline.
It’s worth distinguishing the camera from the molecular system: this animation holds the camera parameters fixed. It is a way to keep the viewpoint steady, not a way to pause or hold the molecular system itself.
Set up the hold
- Choose the start frame. In the Animator’s Track view, select the frame where the fixed view should begin.
- Set the camera view. Orient the view as you want it to appear at that point. Take a moment to check that the parts of the system you want viewers to focus on are visible.
- Add Hold camera. In the Animator’s Animation panel, double-click the Hold camera animation effect.
- Choose the end frame. Set how long the view should remain fixed. You can move the start and end frames later if the timing needs adjustment.
The basic idea is simple: decide where the steady view begins, arrange the camera there, and define the interval for which it should remain fixed. If the view changes unexpectedly elsewhere in your presentation, check whether that portion of the timeline is covered by the hold or by another camera animation.
This example shows the Hold camera animation in use. The animation is accessed from the Animator’s Animation panel; older instructions or recordings may show an Animation menu that is no longer present. Presentation actions are available through the Animator’s controls.
For camera movement rather than a fixed view, see the Move camera animation. For the complete instructions, visit the Hold camera documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.