In molecular modeling, creating clear and impactful animations is crucial to communicate complex spatial structures and interactions. But one recurring challenge is how to smoothly shift the camera vertically without losing the context of the scene. This is especially important when presenting elongated molecular assemblies, membrane systems, or any structure where a top-down or bottom-up perspective is needed.
The Pedestal camera animation in SAMSON provides a simple but effective solution to this problem by moving both the camera position and its target point vertically together. This ensures the camera maintains its focus while moving in a parallel direction along the vertical axis, creating visually stable animations.
What does “Pedestal camera” actually do?
Unlike a camera rotation or zoom, the Pedestal camera keeps what you’re looking at centered and consistent. It just lifts the view up (or down), almost like the camera is gliding vertically on tracks. This makes it easier to illustrate the vertical structure of molecular assemblies without introducing sudden angle shifts.
It’s particularly useful when you want to:
- Show layer-by-layer organization in cell membranes or crystalline systems
- Reveal the vertical extension of molecules in their environment
- Create a cinematic fly-up or fly-down effect within a scene
How to apply the Pedestal camera effect
Here’s a step-by-step overview:
- First, go to your Animator’s Track view and set the desired start frame. Align your camera to the view you want to begin with.
- Next, in the Animation panel, double-click on the Pedestal camera effect. SAMSON will automatically define the start and end positions of the camera’s target point and position.
- Both values will be shifted vertically by the same distance for the end frame. This creates the smooth lift or drop effect.
- You can always adjust the start and end frames afterward to time the animation more precisely.
Customizing the animation
You can tweak several parameters to refine how the vertical movement behaves. For example:
- Keep camera upwards: This option, when enabled, ensures the camera respects the grid orientation. Disable it if you want the camera orientation to remain independent of the grid status.
- Interpolation: Visit the Easing curve settings to customize how fast or slow the vertical movement starts and ends.
- Camera target and position controls: Use animation controllers to fine-tune the motion manually, though note that Pedestal camera has some constraints to prevent undesired deviations from the vertical path.
In summary, the Pedestal camera is best used when you need a smooth, controlled vertical shift in your scene – without camera angle changes that might disorient the viewer. It’s simple to use, highly targeted for specific molecular layout needs, and integrates well with other SAMSON animator features.
To learn more, visit the full documentation page here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/animations/pedestal-camera/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.