When creating molecular animations, smooth transitions and stable perspectives are crucial. Whether you’re preparing a video for publication, a lecture, or a team presentation, you want your viewers to focus on the molecular systems— not wonder why the camera view keeps shifting unpredictably.
One common challenge arises when working with animated sequences that include some camera movements (like rotations or transitions), followed by stretches where you want the camera to stay still. If you’re not actively animating the camera during those moments, its position might still change due to unintentional edits or navigation by the user editing the document. This is where the Hold camera animation in SAMSON becomes essential.
Why use the Hold Camera animation?
The Hold camera animation ensures that your chosen camera view remains exactly the same between two frames. It literally freezes the perspective, avoiding accidental camera transitions that could distract viewers or ruin the continuity of your presentation.
This is especially helpful when:
- You’ve found the perfect angle to highlight a structural interaction.
- You want the molecule to animate while the viewpoint remains fixed.
- You’re pausing camera movements between other camera-based animations (like a zoom or a pan).
How to apply the Hold Camera Animation
- In the Animator’s Track view, choose the start frame where you want the view to lock.
- Manually set your preferred view by using the camera controls or by navigating your structure.
- From the Animation panel of the Animator, double-click the Hold camera animation effect.
- Set your desired end frame to define the duration of the static camera.
Pro tip: You can adjust the start and end frames later if you want to change where the hold begins or ends. This flexibility helps fine-tune your animation timeline as your project evolves.
Example in action
Here is a demonstration of the Hold camera animation applied to a molecular sequence. The structure moves, but the perspective remains perfectly frozen:
Note: Older versions of SAMSON used the “Animation” menu. This has been replaced by the Animation panel in the Animator window. All animation controls and effects are now accessible from there.
Where to go from here?
Stabilizing your camera is a small but powerful way to improve the clarity and professionalism of molecular animations. Whether you’re highlighting a ligand binding site or showing dynamic changes across a simulation, a locked view can make all the difference.
To learn more and explore other camera animations like “Move camera,” check out the full documentation for the Hold camera animation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.