Have you ever added labels to atoms, residues, or molecules in SAMSON and suddenly found they weren’t visible any longer? This is a common situation, especially when zooming in and out or working with complex structures containing multiple hierarchical node types. Understanding how label visibility works in SAMSON can help you focus on what matters and prevent confusion when labels unexpectedly disappear from view.
Why Labels Disappear
In SAMSON, labels are smart: they dynamically appear and disappear depending on your zoom level and on the type and size of the nodes they are attached to. Labels associated with small nodes (like atoms) vanish when zoomed out, while higher-level labels (like those on molecules) become more prominent. This helps prevent clutter, but can also lead to some surprises if you’re not aware it’s happening.
Manually Controlling Label Visibility
Feeling that SAMSON is hiding too much or too little? You can customize how labels behave using the Inspector to adjust minimum and maximum display radii. These values govern when the label is considered visible based on the current zoom level.
To control label visibility:
- Select the label(s) in the Viewport or in the Document view.
- Open the Inspector.
- Adjust the Minimum Display Radius and Maximum Display Radius parameters. These numbers reflect a visual radius, determining the zoom scales at which the labels will appear or disappear.
By tweaking these values, you can ensure that key labels are visible at your preferred zoom levels, whether you’re presenting a molecule schematic to colleagues or scrutinizing a binding site.
Temporarily Hiding or Showing All Labels
If you’re looking for quick control over what appears on screen, the Document view lets you toggle individual labels on or off. Simply tick or untick the boxes next to each label in the node tree. This gives you fast, flexible control over what information is shown—without having to modify radii.
Why This Matters
If you’re building molecular presentations or analytical visuals, missing labels can lead to miscommunication or interpretation errors. Being in control of when and how labels show up helps you ensure clarity. This small yet powerful visibility mechanism lets you declutter your 3D scene when needed, or highlight critical information up close.
For more information and step-by-step guidance on label customization in SAMSON, visit the full documentation here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/labeling/.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.