When creating animations of molecular systems, one common frustration many modelers face is the inconsistency of camera angles between frames. You might carefully structure a scene, but after navigating through your document or tweaking objects, the system’s viewpoint can change unintentionally. This becomes especially problematic when you’re trying to maintain a consistent shot across several frames for clarity, communication, or aesthetics.
This is where the Hold camera animation effect in SAMSON can be a surprisingly effective tool.
What the Hold Camera Animation Does
The Hold camera animation locks the current view of your molecular system between a start and end animation frame. That means, even as other animations or objects move, the camera will remain static as if it’s using a tripod. This small but crucial addition ensures visual consistency—especially important for recordings, presentations, and tutorials.
Imagine you have a rotating enzyme animation and you want to focus on a very specific orientation throughout the movement. Rather than carefully and manually checking the camera alignment across frames, you can simply add a Hold camera animation at the beginning and the end, and the view won’t shift unpredictably.
How to Add the Hold Camera Animation
- In SAMSON, open the Animator’s Track view and select the frame where you want the view to be locked.
- Set the desired camera orientation by moving around the molecular system until the scene appears as intended.
- Double-click on Hold camera in the Animation panel (accessible from the Animator interface).
- Choose the end frame of the camera hold to define how long the view should remain fixed.
- If needed, you can easily drag and adjust the start and end frames visually within the track view.
Example in Action
In the animation below, SAMSON uses the Hold camera effect to maintain a steady viewpoint while molecular animations occur in the scene.
Tip: Use with Other Camera Animations
If you’re incorporating multiple camera moves (such as move camera animations), Hold camera transitions become even more useful. They act as ‘connectors’ between movement sequences, helping you define static periods between dynamic shots or prevent accidental angle shifts when no move camera animation is present.
This doesn’t just help presentations feel more polished—it also keeps data sharing and communication more precise. Colleagues or viewers will see exactly what you intended, with no confusing camera adjustments that distort perception.
To learn more and explore the full documentation, visit the official Hold camera animation guide here.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. To get SAMSON, visit www.samson-connect.net.