Select objects

Selecting and Transforming Objects

This section covers selecting, moving, copying, rotating, and
scaling objects, both 2D and 3D.

Selecting Objects

To select objects, you must be in Select mode. You can
access this by selecting Edit / Select, or by clicking the
Select icon img/wiki_up//EditSelect.jpg

TIP: You can also access Select mode by pressing the Space Bar.

To select a single object, click on it.
To select multiple objects, keep the Shift key pressed
while selecting.
To deselect an object from a selected group,
Shift-select it again.
To select all objects, select Edit / Select All or use
Ctrl+A.
When a group of objects is selected, press Ctrl to select
one of the objects in the group. You can edit just this
one object, and when you are finished, click outside
the group. The previously selected group is once again
selected.

Four hotkeys are also available for selecting:

F6 selects the first object created. Pressing F6
repeatedly will select subsequent objects in the order
they were created.
F7 selects the last object created. Pressing F7
repeatedly will select subsequent objects in reverse
creation order.
Shift+F6 selects multiple objects. Starting with one
object, subsequently created objects are added to the
selection set.
Shift+F7 selects multiple objects. Starting with one
object, previously created objects are added to the
selection set.

For any selected object or group of objects, you can view and
access some properties in the Selection Info Palette.
See Selection Info Palette.

TIP: You can use the Design Director to select all objects that
reside on a particular layer or sit on a particular workplane,
select lights, etc. See Design Director.

2D / 3D Selector

The way objects appear when selected, and the options for
editing them, depend on whether they are selected as 2D or
3D objects. This is controlled by the 2D or 3D Selector.

Usage of the 2D Selector can be set in the Selector
Properties window. This can be opened by right-clicking
anywhere while in Select mode, and selecting Selector 2D
Properties from the local menu. (If the 3D Selector is active,
the local menu item will be Selector 3D Properties.)

You can also click the icon on the Inspector Bar to open the
Selector Properties.

While working, you can easily switch between 2D and 3D
Selector Mode, without having to open the Selector
Properties window. Simply click the Toggle 2D/3D icon on
the Inspector Bar.

General

Controls how 2D and 3D objects are selected, and what
transformation fields appear in the Inspector Bar.

2D Mode for Model and Paper Space:
Overrides and treats all objects as if they are 2D, and only uses
the 2D selection rectangle. The Inspector Bar contains
transformation fields in X and Y only.

3D Mode for Model Space:
Overrides and treats all objects as if they are 3D, and only uses
the 3D selection box. The Inspector Bar contains
transformation fields in X, Y, and Z.

2D/3D Depending on Selected Object and Space Mode:
The Default mode.
Treats objects for what they are; 2D objects are treated as 2D objects and
3D objects are treated as 3D objects.

Selector 2D

Options for 2D selection and fields in the Inspector Bar.

Shell Shape: Select None to make the selector shell
(bounding rectangle) invisible.

Manipulation Options:

Show Rotation Bars: If unchecked, the rotation bar is
not shown and is not accessible.
Link Selector Shell with Rotation Bar: If checked,
when you press Ctrl and move the rotation handle, the
selector shape will change accordingly.
Link Selector Shell not checked

Link Selector Shell checked
Show Object while Dragging: Displays the selected
objects dynamically as they are transformed. If not
checked, only the selection shell is visible.

Inspector Bar: Controls the 2D transformation fields that
appear on the Inspector Bar. (see Inspector Bar).

NOTE: The 2D Selector always moves the UCS (workplane) to the selection.

Selector 3D

Options for 3D selection, containing additional options for
selection boxes and Inspector Bar fields. Many of these
parameters are the same as for the Selector 2D page.

Shell Shape: Box is the default. The Sphere shell is useful
for visualizing rotation, but does not allow drag and drop
scaling. Select None to make the selector shell invisible.

Manipulation: Options for manipulating the display.

Safe UCS Mode: Prevents changes to the current
workplane when you manipulate objects with the 3D
Selector. If unchecked, you will get a warning message
when using 3D Selector for 2D object replacement.

WARNING: Use this option with caution. Simply moving an
object along the same workplane will not change the
workplane, but rotating an object will change the workplane.

Extents CS: Sets the coordinate system (workplane) used by
the selector shell. Because these settings work in tandem
with other settings, their performance can become complex.
Careful study of the Extents CS and Coordinate system
parameters will help you understand this powerful tool.

Entity CS: Selector shell CS equals the CS of the
selected objects.
User CS: Selector shell CS equals the CS of the
current workplane.
World CS: Selector shell CS equals the world CS.
View CS: Selector shell CS equals the CS of the plane
of the current view.

Inspector Bar: Sets the fields that appear in the Inspector
Bar (see Inspector Bar).

Scale and Size: X, Y, and Z fields.
Position: Current location.
Shift: Change in position.
Rotation: Rotation from position
Coordinate System: Sets the CS references in the
Position in Space fields.

When using the 3D Selector, the local menu and Inspector
Bar provide three options that do not appear when working
in 2D.

Set UCS by Selector: Moves the UCS origin to the
selection reference point.
Set Selector by UCS: Moves the selection to the UCS
origin (similar to the Format / Place on WorkPlane
option for 2D objects).

NOTE: The 2D Selector always moves the UCS (Workplane)
to the selection.

Lock/Unlock Axis: Locks or unlocks a rotation bar.
Move the cursor to the end of the rotation bar you wish
to lock or unlock, and select Lock or Unlock Axis
from the local menu.
Auto select compound profile: When selecting
curves for a geometry tool, this option will enable you
to select smoothly connected chains of curves.

Using a Selection Window

You can select a group of objects by dragging a rectangle
around them. Click the first corner of the rectangle, keeping
the mouse button pressed, and drag the rectangle to the
opposite corner.

If you need to select objects using a shape other than a
rectangle, see Select by Fence.

Open Window Mode controls how objects overlapping the
window are selected. To turn Open Window Mode on or
off, use the local menu or click the icon on the Inspector Bar.