Selection tools

Overview

Selecting geometric elements is one of the most frequent actions when working with geometry. Before using any tool, the necessary geometry must be selected first.

Using hotkeys significantly streamlines the selection process, making workflow more efficient.

In Edit mode, only one type of geometry - vertices (hotkey - 1), edges (hotkey - 2), or faces (hotkey - 3) - can be selected at a time. After making a selection, the selection mode can be switched. For example, switching from edges to vertices will select all vertices belonging to the previously selected edges.

Select

• The Select tool is active by default when no other tool is selected.

• Allows selecting geometry elements one at a time.

• To add elements to the selection, hold Shift and click on additional elements.

• To remove elements from the selection, hold Shift and click on an already selected element.

• Loop selection allows selecting connected elements in a sequence. Hold Alt and click on a subsequent element to automatically select all following connected elements. If an element is selected with gaps, the selection pattern will be extended accordingly.

Marquee

The Marquee Selection tool allows selecting multiple geometric elements at once by drawing a selection box over them.

Marquee selection works through the object, meaning all geometric elements behind the front-facing ones will also be selected

• To add elements to the current selection, hold Shift while making a new selection.

• To remove elements from the selection, hold Alt while selecting.

• Pressing the M key repeatedly cycles through different selection modes, allowing for quick switching between selection methods.

Lasso

The Lasso Selection tool allows freeform selection of geometric elements by drawing a custom shape around them. The selection does not require closing the shape manually - simply releasing the mouse button will complete the selection automatically.

Lasso selection works through the object, meaning all geometric elements behind the front-facing ones will also be selected

• Hold Shift while selecting to add elements to the current selection.

• Hold Alt while selecting to remove elements from the selection.

• Pressing the L key repeatedly cycles through different selection modes, allowing for quick switching between selection methods.

Paint Select

The Paint Selection tool allows selecting multiple geometric elements by brushing over them with a cursor.

• Hold Shift while painting to add elements to the selection.

• Hold Alt while painting to remove elements from the selection.

• Pressing the P key repeatedly cycles through different selection modes, allowing for quick switching between selection methods.

Select All

The Select All function allows quick selection of connected or entire geometry within an object.

• Press Ctrl + A to select all connected geometry related to the initially selected element.

• Press Ctrl + A again to expand the selection to the entire object.

Invert Selection

The Invert Selection function allows quickly selecting all unselected elements while deselecting the currently selected ones.

Selection jog

The Selection Jog tool provides access to various selection methods, adapting to the type of geometric element selected before activation. It can be quickly accessed using the K hotkey.

• Loop Selection – selects a continuous edge loop

• Lines by Angle – selects connected edges based on a specified angle threshold

• Select Planar – selects faces that are part of the same plane

• Invert Selection – inverts the current selection, selecting unselected elements and deselecting the current ones

• Select Similar – selects elements similar to the currently selected one based on shared properties

• Select Holes – identifies and selects holes in the mesh

• Select Polygon – selects polygons with a specific number of edges

• Grow / Shrink – expands or contracts the current selection incrementally