Long modeling sessions can strain your eyes, especially when working with highly detailed molecular structures. Many scientists working with digital tools are familiar with this subtle but real discomfort. If you spend hours building, editing, or analyzing molecular models, optimizing your visual environment can make a difference.
That’s where Dark Mode in SAMSON comes in. It’s a small change—but one that can improve comfort, focus, and depth perception during long modeling sessions. Here’s what you need to know about using and customizing Dark Mode in SAMSON’s Preferences > Interface > Dark mode panel.
Why Use Dark Mode?
Dark Mode in SAMSON provides a low-light interface variant designed to reduce glare, eye fatigue, and improve contrast when visualizing molecular structures. This can be particularly helpful when working in dim environments or using screen brightness-reducing tools.
Many users may not realize that toggling to Dark Mode also complements rendering settings—for example, ambient occlusion and silhouette edges often stand out more clearly against darker interfaces. This can subtly improve visual clarity of complex molecular geometries.
How to Switch Interface Themes
To activate Dark Mode in SAMSON, simply:
- Open the Preferences panel from Interface > Preferences (or press Ctrl + K on Windows/Linux, or Cmd + , on Mac).
- In the Preferences panel, go to Interface > Dark mode.
- Toggle the switch to enable or disable Dark Mode instantly.
The setting takes effect immediately. You can always switch back if needed—no restart required.
Who Benefits?
Whether you’re preparing high-contrast visuals, reviewing details in dense molecular models, or simply working late hours, Dark Mode can help reduce visual noise. This is especially useful for molecular modelers who:
- Work on presentations or publications and need sharp contrasts with rendering effects.
- Use SAMSON extensively for editing or structural analysis tasks.
- Want to minimize screen brightness to reduce eye fatigue over time.
More Customization Available
You can combine Dark Mode with several visualization settings for an even more tailored experience. From the same Preferences panel, go to the Rendering section to tweak parameters like backgrounds, lighting, shadows, ambient occlusion, or depth of field. The combination of these with Dark Mode can help you create a more pleasant and productive modeling space.
Whether you’re a new user or have been in SAMSON for years, taking a few minutes to personalize your interface settings can improve your work over the long run.
To learn more, visit the full documentation on the SAMSON Preferences panel.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can try them today by downloading SAMSON at www.samson-connect.net.