When presenting structural biology data or highlighting features in complex molecular assemblies, clarity of motion can significantly improve communication. One frequent challenge in molecular visualization is how to vertically reposition the view of a system—especially in confined spaces like membranes, channels, or stacked assemblies—while maintaining a consistent perspective.
This is where the Pedestal camera animation in SAMSON offers a solution. Unlike general movement tools, the Pedestal animation is tailored to shift both the camera and its point of focus vertically by the same amount in the camera’s local frame, preserving alignment and offering smooth transitions. It is especially useful when your story is focused on movement along a primary axis—like scanning along the z-direction of a nucleic acid bundle or translocating through a protein pore.
Vertical Movement Without Losing Focus
In essence, the Pedestal camera acts like a camera on a crane. It raises (or lowers) the view by moving the target point and the camera position vertically. This guarantees that what was centered in your field of view at the start remains centered throughout the animation, only elevated or lowered by some offset.
This is different from rotation or zoom animations, where the camera pivots or moves forward/backward. Instead, Pedestal is used when you want to slide the camera up or down while maintaining the same orientation.
How to Add the Pedestal Animation
First, orient the view and select a start frame using the Animator’s Track view. Once you’re satisfied, double-click the Pedestal camera animation in the Animator panel. SAMSON automatically records the current position and target point of your camera as the start frame for the animation. Then, for the end frame, both values are shifted vertically by the same amount—resulting in a smooth upward or downward glide.
To adjust the duration or distance of the movement, move the end frame along the animation timeline or edit camera positions numerically by inspecting the animation.
Customizing the Animation
- Apply to Active Camera: By default, animations apply to the currently active camera. This can be changed by inspecting the animation properties.
- Keep Camera Upwards: Depending on whether the grid is enabled, this can affect how vertical movement behaves. Enabling “Keep camera upwards” ensures consistent orientation during the pedestal motion.
- Easing Curves: Smoothen or stylize transitions by editing the easing curve, to control acceleration and deceleration over time.
Limitations and Tips
While you can manually adjust start and end frames, note that the vertical shift should ideally align with features in your system, especially if you are guiding the viewer’s focus along a biological axis (e.g., across a lipid bilayer).
This technique can be paired with highlights, labels, or zooming layers to enrich presentations or recorded animations meant for papers, lectures, or online videos.
For more details, see the full documentation on the Pedestal camera animation: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/pedestal-camera/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.