Creating engaging molecular animations often means going beyond static visuals and tapping into smooth, precise camera movements. For molecular modelers preparing presentations, visualizations, or educational content, one constant challenge is showing structural complexity—such as layers of biomolecular assemblies or vertical arrangements of nanostructures—without overwhelming the audience. Vertical transitions are especially useful for walking the viewer through different sections of a tall molecular system, from bottom to top or vice versa.
The Pedestal camera animation in SAMSON offers a simple but effective way to move the camera along a vertical axis between two keyframes. This helps molecular designers add immersive movements in a controlled, repeatable way—shifting the view without rotating or changing perspective unintentionally. Let’s look at how to use it and when it’s most valuable.
What Is the Pedestal Camera Animation?
Unlike free camera motion, which can introduce unwanted complexity in molecular animations, the Pedestal camera shifts the camera’s position and target point upward (or downward) in parallel along the vertical axis. It behaves similarly to the Truck camera, which moves horizontally. Because the Pedestal animation preserves the perspective and orientation of the camera, it’s particularly useful for emphasizing vertical structures or navigating through layers of a system.
When to Use It
Many biomolecular structures—such as membrane proteins, DNA-based nanomachines, or inorganic frameworks like zeolites—have a vertical element. Using the Pedestal camera, you can:
- Emphasize top-down organization in macromolecular assemblies
- Walk viewers through stacked molecular layers, such as lipid bilayers
- Show axis-aligned transitions in nanotubes or crystallographic structures
How to Set It Up
- In the Animator’s Track view, choose your starting frame and orient the camera as desired.
- From the Animation panel, double-click the Pedestal camera to insert it into the timeline.
- Set the desired end frame where you want the vertical movement to end. SAMSON will automatically shift both the camera’s position and target point by the same vertical distance.
To make adjustments, you can always move the start/end frames in the timeline or inspect and tweak the easing curve for smoother acceleration or deceleration during the animation.
Advanced Adjustments
For additional control, inspect the animation:
- Apply to active camera: Choose a specific camera if you’re working with multiple views.
- Keep camera upwards: Enforce upright movement depending on the 3D grid’s state.
- Easing curve: Smooth in/out transitions by modifying interpolation between frames.
Animation Limitations
While you can adjust the Pedestal camera’s parameters, there are some constraints on how the camera’s target and position points can be edited due to their parallel vertical linkage. This ensures the movement stays consistent and avoids disorienting shifts.
The Pedestal camera effect is a great option to give your viewers a clear sense of vertical depth or layered structure in your molecular design presentations. For a quick way to make your animations more dynamic and spatially informative—without sacrificing control over perspective—this tool is worth exploring.
Learn more about the Pedestal camera animation in the official documentation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.