Basics > Selecting > 

Overview of Selection

 
 
 

This section presents a brief summary of selection in 3D views — enough to get you up and running quickly. There are many more nuances to selection, but these are described in other sections.

Key Selection Concepts

Selection Tools

You select elements by clicking on them or dragging across them while a selection tool is active. Several different selection tools are available in Softimage, and each one has a different mouse interaction. See Using Selection Tools.

Selection Filters

The selection filter determines what types of element will become selected. See Object Selection Filters.

A

Selection filter buttons: Select objects or their components in the 3D views.

The component buttons are contextual: they change depending on what type of object is currently selected.

B

Click the triangle for additional filters.

C

Click the bottom button to re-activate the last filter.

Selection Modes

The most common combinations of selection tools and filters are available as selection modes, which you can activate quickly using a shortcut key. For other combinations, you can choose a tool and a filter individually. For a list of all modes and other selection shortcut keys, see Selection Keyboard Shortcuts.

Selection Interaction Models

There are alternative interaction models for selection that affect which mouse buttons and modifier keys you use to perform tasks like deselecting, adding to the selection, and so on. The Softimage selection model is the default, but you can choose SI|3D Selection Model or Extended Component Selection from the Select menu. These interaction models are intended for users who are familiar with SOFTIMAGE|3D. Other users might find them a bit unintuitive if they accidentally activate these options. See Selecting Objects Using the Different Interaction Models and Selecting Components Using the Different Interaction Models.

Selection Preferences

In addition, there is a variety of preferences that affect selection. You might find some of these quite handy, especially if you are accustomed to other 3D software. See Selection Preferences [Preference Reference].

Node, Branch, and Tree Selection

You can select individual objects in a hierarchy (node selection), objects and their children together (branch selection), or entire hierarchies (tree selection). These distinctions are important, for example, when applying properties, storing actions, deleting hierarchies, and so on. See Selection and Hierarchies.

Overview of Selecting Objects

  • Use the space bar in supra or sticky mode, and click on or drag across one or more objects.

    • Use the left mouse-button to node-select objects.

    • Use the middle mouse-button to branch-select objects in hierarchies.

    • Use the right mouse-button to tree-select hierarchies.

For more details, see Selecting Objects and Selection and Hierarchies.

Overview of Selecting Components

  1. Select one or more geometric objects.

  2. Activate a component selection filter and a selection tool in supra or sticky mode. Alternatively, you can use a component selection mode that sets the most frequent combinations of filter and tool automatically. See Selection Keyboard Shortcuts.

  3. Use the mouse in the 3D views.

For more details, see Selecting Components.

Extending and Modifying the Selection

Normally, if both SI|3D Selection Model and Extended Component Selection are toggled off on the Select menu, then selecting a new element automatically deselects the previous selection. However, you can extend and modify the selection:

  • Use the Shift key while clicking on an element to add it to the selection.

  • Use Ctrl to toggle-select.

  • Use Ctrl+Shift to deselect.

Deselecting All Elements

  • Click or drag in an empty area.

Selection Keyboard Shortcuts

There are several keyboard shortcuts for selecting elements. The default keys are shown in this table:

Key

Tool or action

space bar

Select objects with the Rectangle selection tool, in either supra or sticky mode.

E

Select edges with the Rectangle selection tool, in either supra or sticky mode.

T

Select points with the Rectangle selection tool, in either supra or sticky mode.

Y

Select polygons with the Rectangle selection tool, in either supra or sticky mode.

U

Select polygons with the Raycast selection tool, in either supra or sticky mode.

I

Select edges with the Raycast selection tool, in either supra or sticky mode.

' (apostrophe)

Select hair tips with the Rectangle selection tool, in either supra or sticky mode.

F7

Activate Rectangle selection tool using current filter.

F8

Activate Lasso selection tool using current filter.

F9

Activate Freeform selection tool using current filter.

F10

Activate Raycast selection tool using current filter.

Shift+F10

Activate Rectangle-Raycast selection tool using current filter.

Ctrl+F7

Activate Object filter with current selection tool.

Ctrl+F8

Activate Point filter with current selection tool.

Ctrl+F9

Activate Edge filter with current selection tool.

Ctrl+F10

Activate Polygon filter with current selection tool.

Alt+space bar

Activate last-used selection filter and tool.
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