Have you ever spent time carefully adjusting your camera in a molecular model, only to find that your chosen viewpoint unexpectedly shifts when you’re building an animation? This is a common frustration for researchers and modelers who want to keep focus on a specific region of a molecular system across multiple frames. In SAMSON, there’s a dedicated solution for that: the Hold camera animation.
Animating molecular systems often requires shifting parts of the molecule, changing representations, or applying dynamic effects. But unless you also animate the camera explicitly—or hold it steady—it’s likely your meticulously chosen viewpoint won’t stay consistent. This can undermine the clarity and consistency of your presentation, especially when illustrating a mechanism or structural detail over time.
What is the “Hold camera” Animation?
The Hold camera animation in SAMSON allows you to fix the camera parameters—position, orientation, and zoom—between two frames. You can think of it as a way to tell the animation engine: “Keep looking at the system from exactly this angle and distance for this time period.” This can be especially useful when:
- Creating pauses between camera movements to highlight specific events.
- Ensuring that the camera viewpoint doesn’t change unexpectedly during static scenes.
- Maintaining a consistent look while other parts of the system are animated.
How to Use It in Practice
Here’s a quick walkthrough of how to apply the Hold camera animation effectively in SAMSON:
- Go to the Animator’s Track view and select the start frame where you want the camera to stay fixed.
- Manually orient your camera to the desired view of the molecular structure.
- In the Animation panel inside the Animator, double-click the “Hold camera” animation.
- Set the end frame to define how long this static view should last.
Tip: You can always drag the start and end handles of the animation block to adjust the duration later.
This straightforward technique enables you to build more polished and intentional animations. Holding the camera is particularly useful during transitions or moments when dynamic visual change happens elsewhere in the scene. Your viewers won’t be distracted by unintended viewpoint shifts, and you maintain narrative clarity.
A Note on Changes in the Interface
Earlier versions of SAMSON used an “Animation menu” to access this feature, but this has since been streamlined. Today, you’ll find all animation tools easily accessible via the Animation panel of the Animator.
If you’re working on rich molecular visualizations or educational videos, consistent camera control is a small detail that can make a major difference. Use “Hold camera” to keep your audience focused on the story you’re telling at the molecular scale.
To learn more, visit the official documentation page: Hold camera documentation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.