When working on complex molecular systems, a visual clutter of labels can get in the way of clarity. Whether labeling atoms, molecules, or measurement outputs, too many labels—or the wrong ones—can overload your scene and even mislead collaborators. Handling visibility smartly can help make your visualizations more informative, intuitive, and presentation-ready.
In SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, it is possible to finely control the visibility of labels. This blog post introduces how visibility settings can help improve your workflow—from large-scale overviews to close-ups, and from presentations to precise measurements.
Zoom-sensitive visibility: Let perspective do the filtering
One particularly useful feature: labels in SAMSON automatically adapt their visibility according to the zoom level. When you zoom out, labels on smaller nodes like atoms fade away, while labels on larger structures such as molecules remain visible—or appear instead. Zooming in does the reverse. This creates a clean way to shift focus, depending on what part of the system you are exploring.
Customizing display radii: Decide what shows up
Zoom-level filtering isn’t just on autopilot—you can adjust it. Select a label and head to the Inspector. There, you can set the Minimum display radius and Maximum display radius.
This lets you define exactly when that label should be visible based on your proximity to it. For example, show detailed measurements only when you are close enough for them to matter, and hide them from wider shots to reduce distraction.
Turning labels on and off in Document View
If you want more explicit control, SAMSON lets you toggle label visibility directly from the Document view. There, you can activate or deactivate labels with simple checkboxes. This is particularly helpful for managing figures for publication or zoomed-out illustrations.
Labels as part of storytelling
Labels aren’t just annotations—they’re a part of how we communicate molecular design. But they need to appear at the right time, at the right zoom level, and in the right quantity. Learning to manage their visibility using SAMSON’s built-in tools can make data clearer for you and your audience, whether they’re colleagues, viewers at a conference talk, or reviewers.
Want to explore more tips for working with labels in SAMSON? Check out the full documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at www.samson-connect.net.