Visualizing molecular structures clearly is essential for effective communication in molecular modeling. Yet, even the most detailed molecular models can feel flat or ambiguous without the right rendering settings. One common challenge modelers face is understanding spatial depth, especially when dealing with complex biomolecular systems. Enter ambient occlusion: a rendering technique that significantly enhances depth perception by mimicking how light behaves in crevices and enclosed regions.
What is Ambient Occlusion?
Ambient occlusion simulates the way light diffuses in real-world environments, where areas that receive less ambient light (e.g., grooves or enclosed spaces) appear darker. In molecular terms, this makes pockets, cavities, folds, and overlaps clearer and visually distinct.
Without ambient occlusion, molecules can look unrealistically uniform and two-dimensional, making it harder to decipher structural organization. With it, spatial relationships between atoms and domains become more apparent, improving both visual clarity and comprehension.
Two Types of Ambient Occlusion in SAMSON:
- Screen-space ambient occlusion (SSAO) is fast and suitable for real-time exploration. It’s camera-dependent, meaning the effect varies with your viewing angle and distance.
- Object-space ambient occlusion (OSAO) is more physically accurate and produces consistent results regardless of the camera view, but it’s computationally heavier.
Even though OSAO can be more realistic, SSAO is already a great improvement over no occlusion, especially for interactive use.
Without ambient occlusion: less visual depth
With screen-space ambient occlusion: better spatial perception
How to Adjust Ambient Occlusion in SAMSON
You can toggle ambient occlusion quickly from the Visualization > Options menu to see the immediate impact. For more control:
- Go to Interface > Preferences > Rendering > Ambient occlusion
- Choose between SSAO and OSAO
- Adjust parameters like intensity or radius to refine the effect
These settings let you strike a balance between performance and clarity, especially if you’re working on a large molecular complex or presenting visualizations to others.
Whether you’re preparing high-quality presentations or analyzing complex structures, enabling ambient occlusion can make a significant difference. Once you switch it on, you may find it hard to go back to flat visuals.
To learn more about this and other rendering settings in SAMSON, visit the full documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/rendering-effects/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.