When preparing a molecular model for a presentation, it is easy to end up with a view that feels too low or too high. The usual fix—adjusting the camera—can also change what the audience is looking at. The Pedestal camera animation offers a simple alternative: it moves the camera vertically while shifting its target point by the same amount.
Because the camera position and target point move together, the animation is useful when you want to reframe a structure without making the camera turn toward a different target. Think of it as moving the view up or down along the scene, rather than changing the molecular model itself. It can help create a smoother transition between two presentations of the same system, or make room in the composition for other visual elements.
What the animation changes
A camera looks toward a target point. The Pedestal camera animation shifts both that point and the camera position vertically in the camera’s reference frame. The direction of the view is therefore carried along with the movement. This is different from moving only the target, which would change where the camera points.
The animation is the vertical counterpart of Truck camera, which moves the camera horizontally. If you need a broader camera movement, the Move camera animation is another option.
Set up a controlled vertical move
- In the Animator’s Track view, choose the frame where the movement should begin.
- Orient the view and position the camera as you want it at the start. The starting camera position and target point are taken from this view.
- In the Animator’s Animation panel, double-click Pedestal camera.
- Set the animation’s end frame. The camera position and target point at the end are shifted vertically upward by the same distance.
After adding the effect, you can move its start and end frames if the transition needs to happen earlier or later. For a clean presentation, first settle the starting view, then preview the animation and adjust its timing. This separates two decisions that are easy to mix up: where the camera begins, and when the move takes place.
Check the camera settings
By default, camera animations apply to the active camera. The animation’s target point is based on that camera’s current target position, which is essentially the center of the view. If you need to change which camera is affected, inspect the animation and adjust Apply to active camera.
The behavior can also depend on whether the grid is on or off. Inspect the animation’s Keep camera upwards option to control this behavior. If a camera move looks different than expected after changing the grid, this is a useful setting to check.
You can change how the camera parameters progress between frames with the Easing curve. This lets you adjust the character of the transition without changing the basic purpose of the effect: moving the view vertically while moving its target in parallel.
Camera positions and target points can be adjusted with animation controllers, though the Pedestal camera animation has specific limitations on how those points can be adjusted. The example below illustrates the adjustment controls.
For the full instructions and details about its properties, see the Pedestal camera documentation.
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