One common challenge in molecular modeling is presenting structural features that span vertically over large systems, such as membrane-spanning proteins, nanotubes, or layered materials. When trying to communicate the depth of a system in presentations or videos, a smooth vertical motion of the camera can help reveal key structural details that might otherwise be missed in a static view.
That’s where the Pedestal camera animation in SAMSON comes in handy. This animation moves both the camera’s position and its target vertically between two defined keyframes, allowing for a natural upward or downward sweep of the view. It feels like you’re levitating past your molecular system — a simple but effective way to explore 3D data vertically.
When to Use It
If you’ve ever made a presentation or tutorial and needed to show changes occurring along the Z-axis (i.e., vertical axis) of your model — perhaps to capture different slices of a large molecular complex — the Pedestal camera provides a clean approach to do just that. It’s especially effective when you want the view to stay centered on a structure, but float gently up or down to add spatial context.
How It Works
To use the Pedestal camera animation in SAMSON:
- Use the Animator’s Track view to select a starting frame.
- Place the camera and orient the system as desired.
- In the Animation panel, double-click the Pedestal camera animation effect.
- SAMSON will record the target and position of the camera at that moment.
- Then, both the target point and position will be moved vertically in the camera’s reference frame by the same amount for the ending keyframe.
- Specify the end frame to define the duration of the animation.
The calculation ensures that your view translates upward (or downward) smoothly without tilting or panning, creating a straight vertical lift of perspective.
Fine-Tuning Your Animation
With the Pedestal camera animation, you can further refine the motion:
- Use the Easing curve editor to modify how the speed of the movement evolves over time — e.g., starting slow and accelerating, or moving at constant speed.
- Inspect the animation to toggle options like Keep camera upwards, which depends on whether you want the camera orientation to follow the grid or remain fixed.
- You can also change whether the animation applies to the active camera or another one.
Some Limitations
Unlike general camera animations, Pedestal preserves a strict vertical motion in the camera’s reference frame, so adjustments to the target point and position are constrained. That’s to ensure the movement remains perpendicular to the view plane, giving that satisfying ‘lift’ effect.
Compared With Truck Camera
For horizontal movements (e.g., side-scrolling across a membrane), use the Truck camera animation instead — it behaves in the same way but with horizontal directionality. The concepts are nearly identical, giving you full directional control to visualize your system dynamically.
These controlled motions are useful for producing professional-looking videos and delivering scientific presentations that highlight hidden dimensions of complex molecular systems.
To learn more and see more detailed options, visit the official documentation page for the Pedestal camera animation: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/pedestal-camera/.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.