Select Object

Command entry:Main toolbar

(Select Object)

Command entry:Right-click to open quad menu.

Transform quadrant

Select

Select Object lets you select an objects and sub-objects for manipulation.

Object selection is affected by several other controls:

The active Selection Region type: Rectangular, Circular, Fence, Lasso, or Paint.
The active selection filter (All, Geometry, Shapes, Lights, and so forth).
The state of the crossing selection tool (which determines whether completely surrounded objects or surrounded and crossing objects are selected).

You can also select objects by name with the Select From Scene dialogSelect From Scene list; press the H key to access the dialog.

A number of objects selected together is called a selection set. You can name selection sets in the Named Selection Sets field on the main toolbar and then recall them for later use.

NoteThe Smart Select command activates the Select Object function and, with repeated invocations, cycles through the available Selection Region methods. By default, Smart Select is assigned to the Q key; you can use Customize User Interface to assign it to a different keyboard shortcut, a menu, etc.

Procedures

NoteIn versions of 3ds Max prior to 3ds Max 2011, holding down the Ctrl toggled an object’s selection state. That is no longer the case. To add an object to a selection, use Ctrl. To remove an object from a selection, use Alt.

To add objects to a selection set:

Hold down the Ctrl key and select the objects to add.
NoteAdding objects doesn't change a named selection set.

To remove individual objects from a selection set:

Hold down the Alt key and select the objects to remove.
NoteRemoving objects doesn't change a named selection set.

To select objects and move, rotate, or scale them:

Use Select And Move, Select And Rotate, or Select And Scale, available from the main toolbar and the quad menu Transform quadrant.
When you rotate a selection set, the pivot of rotation depends on which option is selected on the Use Center flyout on the toolbar.

These tools are restricted to a specific axis or plane, which you can choose from the Axis Constraints toolbar or specify with the transform gizmo.