Staring at bright screens for hours can be exhausting — especially for molecular modelers who often spend long sessions analyzing complex structures. Whether you’re building interaction models, rendering simulations, or working late into the night, eye fatigue is a common issue. SAMSON offers a simple but impactful solution: Dark mode.
This feature allows you to switch the entire user interface to a darker theme, reducing screen brightness and visual strain, which can help maintain focus and comfort during extended work sessions.
How to Enable Dark Mode in SAMSON
Switching to Dark mode in SAMSON takes only seconds:
- Open the Preferences panel by navigating to
Interface > Preferences, or by pressing Ctrl+K (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+, (Mac). - In the sidebar, go to Interface > Dark mode.
- Use the toggle to switch between Light and Dark mode.
Why Use Dark Mode for Molecular Modeling?
While many apps and operating systems today support Dark mode, it’s not purely about aesthetics. For molecular modeling, the benefits are quite practical:
- Improved visual comfort: Minimizes screen glare, which is especially helpful during long modeling sessions in low-light environments.
- Enhanced focus on molecules: Dark backgrounds can make colorful atoms and molecular surfaces stand out more clearly.
- Consistency with other tools: Many coding environments and scientific applications already offer dark modes, making for a smoother workflow if you’re switching between apps.
- Batteries last longer: If you’re running SAMSON on a laptop with an OLED display, dark themes may reduce power consumption.
What Changes in the Interface?
When Dark mode is enabled, the SAMSON interface transitions from a bright background to a darker one, while preserving the visibility of menus, buttons, and 3D viewports. This change affects:
- The background of the interface
- Dropdown menus and tool panels
- Rendering background (depending on other settings under
Rendering > Background)
The molecular scene itself can be further customized via other preferences including rendering options, label colors, and shadows, which also respond well visually in Dark mode.
Tips
Don’t forget — you can search within the Preferences panel to find “Dark mode” instantly. A small time-saver when you’re exploring other visual settings like fog, anti-aliasing, or lighting (which all interact nicely with a darker interface theme).
In short, if you find yourself working late, giving presentations, or simply prefer a softer visual palette, enabling Dark mode could make your modeling experience more pleasant and focused.
Explore all visual and interface options in SAMSON to tailor your molecular modeling environment. Learn more in the full documentation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON at www.samson-connect.net.