When building molecular models, placing informative labels can be crucial: whether it’s highlighting a specific atom, measuring a distance, or tagging a particular residue, labels guide the interpretation and communication of your models. But if you’ve ever zoomed in or out and wondered why your labels seem to vanish or appear unexpectedly in your SAMSON Viewport, you’re not alone.
The visibility of labels in SAMSON isn’t binary — it’s designed to automatically adjust based on zoom level, node size, and user preferences. Here’s what’s going on beneath the surface, and how to control it.
Zoom-Dependent Visibility
By default, SAMSON manages the visibility of labels according to the display radius of the node they belong to. As you zoom in on your system, labels attached to smaller features (like atoms or bonds) appear, while labels for larger structures (like molecules) may fade out. The opposite happens when you zoom out. This approach ensures a less cluttered workspace and highlights relevant details based on your view scale.
Manual Control Over Label Visibility
While the default behavior is helpful, sometimes you need full control over when a label shows up. Fortunately, SAMSON lets you define the minimum and maximum display radii per label.
To customize these values:
- Select a label in your system or via the Document view.
- Open the Inspector.
- Adjust the Minimum display radius and Maximum display radius settings.
These parameters control the distance (in scene units) within which a label is visible. By narrowing or expanding this range, you ensure that labels appear or disappear exactly when you want them to.
Quick Visibility Toggles
You can also manually toggle label visibility using the Document view. Simply check or uncheck the box next to the label’s name in the document tree:
This approach is helpful when quickly reviewing a complex scene and needing to declutter the viewport without deleting or modifying labels.
Best Practices When Working with Labels
- Use different zoom levels to verify that your most important labels remain visible as needed.
- Group related labels and adjust their display radius ranges together.
- In high-density scenes, consider using labels for larger nodes only, like molecules or residues, to avoid overcrowding.
Summary
Understanding how SAMSON handles label visibility can save time and enhance the clarity of your molecular models. Whether for presentations, collaboration, or just your own notes, controlling when and how labels appear ensures your insights are never missed.
To learn more about labeling in SAMSON, visit the official documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/labeling/.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.