Have you ever spent time crafting a clear view of your molecular system, only to find the camera angle inexplicably shifts during playback or renders? If you’re using SAMSON for molecular modeling and presentations, this might sound familiar. Thankfully, there’s a simple yet powerful solution: the Hold camera animation.
When creating animations in SAMSON, users commonly apply effects to molecules or structures but forget to explicitly control the camera. As a result, camera parameters—like zoom, rotation, or focal point—might get unintentionally altered as you work or switch between frames. This makes it difficult to maintain a consistent point of view, which is crucial when producing visually coherent molecular animations for presentations, educational materials, or publication.
What Does the Hold Camera Animation Do?
The Hold camera animation locks the camera configuration—position, orientation, and zoom—between two frames. This ensures the visual perspective stays fixed, even if you modify other aspects of the model or animation timeline. It’s especially useful when you’re:
- Adding animations to parts of your system and want the viewpoint to remain static
- Creating educational clips where clarity depends on a fixed camera angle
- Introducing dynamic effects like rotations or transitions only at key moments
Adding a Hold Camera Animation
Here’s how to lock the camera in place during your animation:
- Open the Animator and go to the Track View.
- Select the frame where you want the static camera to begin.
- Orient the camera the way you’d like—for example, using mouse controls or view presets.
- Double-click on Hold camera in the Animation panel.
- Choose the frame where the hold should end. You can always adjust this later by manipulating the time points in the Track View.
Why It Matters
Even subtle camera shifts can cause confusion in scientific visualizations. If you’re showing conformational changes or dynamic interactions, maintaining a constant viewpoint helps your audience focus on what’s changing—rather than trying to reorient themselves with every scene.
Think of it like using a steady tripod when filming: it keeps the context fixed and enhances understanding. The Hold camera effect can be easily combined with other camera-related animations, like Move camera, for transitions between static views.
Quick Tip for Interface Navigation ⚙️
The documentation notes that the older “Animation menu” has been removed. Instead, you’ll now find all animation features in the Animator interface, accessible via:
- Windows/Linux:
Ctrl + 7 - macOS:
Cmd + 7
From this panel, you can activate, edit, and tweak all kinds of animation effects—just look for Hold camera and double-click to insert.
Whether you’re preparing a research talk, creating a recorded tutorial, or simply demonstrating a result, leverage the Hold camera feature to make your animations more consistent and easier to follow.
To learn more, visit the official documentation page: Hold camera animation – SAMSON Documentation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.