Staring at brightly lit interfaces late at night while working on detailed molecular structures can be tiring and distracting. For molecular modelers who spend hours analyzing complex geometries, renderings, and atomistic simulations, eye strain caused by bright themes is a real issue—especially during long evening or night sessions.
This is where Dark Mode in SAMSON becomes particularly useful. While frequently overlooked, customizing your interface appearance isn’t just about aesthetics—it can help you stay focused, comfortable, and efficient.
Locating the Setting
To enable Dark Mode in SAMSON, open the Preferences panel by navigating to Interface > Preferences or using the shortcut Ctrl + K (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + , (Mac).
In the preferences window, go to Interface > Dark mode. There, you’ll see the option to toggle the interface between light and dark appearances.
Why Use Dark Mode?
- Reduces eye strain: Especially when working in low-light environments.
- Improves focus: A darker UI can help complex molecular structures stand out more clearly.
- Energy efficient: On OLED screens, dark modes can consume less power.
If you often use SAMSON for visual presentations or screen recording, switching to Dark Mode can also aesthetically enhance your visuals by reducing distracting UI glare and reflections.
Combining Dark Mode with Rendering Preferences
Dark Mode pairs well with other visualization settings available in SAMSON under the Rendering category. For instance:
- Labels: Configure label colors and font to maximize contrast.
- Lighting: Adjust the position and intensity of lights to match the new background tone.
- Silhouettes and Shadows: Enable visualization depth cues that appear more pronounced in a dark interface.
Switch On, Then Customize
Dark Mode is just the beginning. Once activated, experiment with additional rendering settings like Ambient Occlusion, Fog, and Bloom to enhance how your models look in a darker environment. SAMSON is highly customizable, enabling a workflow that adapts to your visual preferences.
Things to Keep in Mind
Dark Mode is a visual preference—it doesn’t affect your data or rendering outputs (unless UI screenshots are part of your workflow). However, it can improve your experience by making the interface more comfortable over extended working sessions.
Ready to make the switch? Simply access the Interface > Dark mode panel and explore a more comfortable way to design.
To dive deeper into all the available user interface customization options in SAMSON, visit the official documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get started at https://www.samson-connect.net.