When creating molecular animations in SAMSON, it’s common to spend time carefully orienting the scene to show a particular structure or interaction. But if you don’t explicitly control the camera during all frames, SAMSON might change the viewpoint midway as you work on the document—leading to visual inconsistencies and confusion in your final animation. If you’ve ever wondered why your molecular view seems to change unexpectedly between animation frames, the Hold camera animation is the solution you’ve been looking for.
The Hold camera animation ensures that your camera’s position, rotation, and zoom level stay exactly the same across a range of frames. Whether you’re highlighting a molecular binding event or simply transitioning between different stages of a simulation, this technique is an easy way to protect your viewpoint from unintentional shifts.
Why viewpoint stability matters
Let’s say you’re working on an animation that shows a ligand docking into a protein. You orient the camera to emphasize the binding pocket, animate the ligand’s movement, run a simulation… and later realize that your carefully chosen view has drifted. This happens because some animation effects (like Move camera) may not be present across every frame, so the system reverts to your current working view. The Hold camera animation ensures visual continuity, which is essential for scientific storytelling and clear presentations.
How to apply the Hold camera animation
- In the Animator’s Track view, choose the current frame where you’d like to lock the view.
- Use your mouse to orient the camera to the desired viewpoint. Pan, zoom, and rotate the structure as needed.
- From the Animation panel of the Animator, double-click on the Hold camera effect.
- Set the end frame. Your camera will remain fixed across this time range.
Heads up: you can easily adjust the start and end frames of this animation later by dragging the edges of the animation block in the Animator’s Track view.
When to use Hold camera
This effect is especially helpful when:
- You want to highlight a molecular process in a static view while other objects animate.
- You’re combining different animation types and need to maintain consistent framing between them.
- You’re producing educational material and want transitions between scenes to feel smooth and intentional.
Compare this to inserting custom Move camera animations at each segment, which can consume more time and lead to inconsistencies. Hold camera is a reliable shortcut for preserving focus.
A tip for experienced users
Previously, Walkthroughs had their own dedicated Animation menu, but in the latest SAMSON versions, all animation controls—including Hold camera—are now accessible directly from the Animator panel. This update simplifies your workflow and ensures you can access all effects in one location. You can quickly open the Animator using your keyboard: Ctrl + 7 on Windows/Linux or Cmd + 7 on macOS.
To learn more and explore other camera animations like Move camera, check out this official page: Hold camera documentation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON from https://www.samson-connect.net.