Selecting Objects

(Available in all DoubleCAD Variants)

Default UI Menu: Edit/Select

Ribbon UI Menu:

Tip: In most cases, you can also access Select mode by pressing the Space Bar (if another tool is active).

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,Hold Shift-select it again.
To select all objects, use 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 The Design Director

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 If you draw the selection rectangle from right to left, all objects completely or partially inside the fence will be selected.

Alternatively, if you need a shape other than a rectangle this can be performed by using Draw any shape for selecting the objects. Turn the Open Window Mode 'On' from local menu if it is 'Off'. Then click on 'Finish'.

If you draw the selection rectangle from left to right, only objects completely inside the fence will be selected.

Alternatively,if you need a shape other than a rectangle this can be performed by using Select by Fence Draw any shape for selecting the objects. Turn the Open Window Mode 'Off' from local menu if it is 'On'. Then click on 'Finish'

Super Selector Modes

You can specify how selection will work with the Super Selection modes: Rectangular mode, Window Polygon mode, Crossing Polygon mode, and Fence mode. Rectangular mode -the default standard bi-directional rectangle selector. Window Polygon mode - objects completely inside closed polygon will be selected.

Click and drag to set the first two points of the selection window.
Click each subsequent point to define the selection window.
Double click the last point to close the window and finish the selection.

Crossing Polygon mode - objects crossed by or within a closed polygon will be selected.

Click and drag to set the first two points of the selection window.
Click each subsequent point to define the selection window.
Double click the last point to close the window and finish the selection.

Fence mode - objects crossed by an open polygon (fence) will be selected.

Click and drag to set the first two points of the selection window.
Click each subsequent point to define the selection window.
Double click the last point to close the window and finish the selection.

Selection Info Palette

Default UI Menu: Tools/Palettes/Selection Info

Ribbon UI Menu:

Note: For details on using the Selection Info palette for 3D objects, and to see part history, see Editing 3D Objects using Selection Info

Selection Info - Properties

This example consists of a rectangle, a circle, and a linear dimension. Open the Selection Info palette to see the three objects listed.

Tip: The number of selected objects must be less than or equal to Maximum Selection Info Entities, which is set in the Program Defaults page of the DC Explorer Palette.

In the Selection Info toolbar, click Highlighting, and make sure Polyline is selected.

This highlights the rectangle in the drawing window.

Conversely, if you select objects in the drawing area, they will be highlighted in the Selection Info palette.

Note: If a group is selected, its objects will be listed under the group name in a similar tree format.

You can use this palette to change an object's properties. Highlight the circle, and the lower section of the palette contains the categories of properties for the circle. In this example, the color and line weight was changed in the Pen category.

The new properties appear in the drawing area. (You may have to turn off the Highlight icon in the toolbar to see the changes.)

To make some changes to the circle, click Select.

This invokes Select Edit mode, and all objects other than the circle are faded. Perform a change like moving and scaling the circle. (For details on editing this way, see Select Edit.Note that this changes "Circle" to "Ellipse" in the palette.

Select Cancel to exit Select Edit mode.

You can also invoke the Edit Tool. Highlight the Polyline and click Edit Tool. This enables you to reshape an object by moving its nodes. See Edit Tool

Move one or more nodes to change the shape.

To exit the Edit Tool, select Cancel twice. To change the dimension, highlight and make changes in the Text category.

The changed dimension appears in the drawing area.

Note: You can also edit an object's properties by clicking the Properties icon in the palette toolbar. This opens the Properties window for the object (see Object Properties.)

The Copy icon is used to view an object's properties in HTML format.They will appear in your default browser. The HTML file is stored in the ...Profiles/Built-in folder.

To set options for the Selection Info palette, click Options.

The options at the top control highlighting and fading for objects that are not being edited. To set a filter for what objects are displayed in the palette, click New. This opens the Selection by Query window, in which you can specify types of objects you want to display.

Note: For details on selecting by query, see Select by Query

Each filter must be assigned a name.

To apply this filter, click Filter in the toolbar.

Select the filter you just created.

Now only the polyline and dimension appear in the palette.

You can change geometry by modifying geometry in the Metrics category. Open Metrics for the Polyline - the coordinates for each vertex are listed.

Open the branch for a vertex to see its X and Y coordinates. These values can be changed.

The vertex highlighted in the palette is also highlighted in the drawing area.

Some values cannot be edited, such as Area and Perimeter. These values depend on the coordinates of the vertices and are grayed out

.

\6. To see options for another type of object, create several objects and group them (select them, then select Format / Create Group).

The Extents Size parameter has been added to the selection Info palette properties.Extents Size parameter also works with groups, blocks, and insertions. You can use the ‘Extents Size’ property to select entity according to size valuation. Select objects that you think are big or small, or object in any range you want.

The Extents Size update provides you with additional flexibility so that you can use this parameter for various needs and for analyzing wrong entities.

You can also select objects on the basis of extents size parameter using Select by Query (see Select by Query).

Note: For details on groups, see Groups

This object is a "Group of Graphics," and you can open it to see each object that comprises the group. To edit the group, click Edit Content.

The group's contents fill the screen. You can make some change, such as adding or removing objects from it.

When finished, click Finish Edit Content.

Selection Info- Constraints

The Constraints tab of the Selection Info palette shows what constraints have been applied, and to which objects they are applied. For details on constraints, see Constraining Geometry This example consists of two lines and two circles. Three constraints were applied: the two lines are constrained to be parallel, the circles are constrained to be concentric, and a tangent constraint was applied to the outer circle and adjacent line.

Make sure the All icon is disabled at the top of the Selection Info palette. Select the outer line, which only has one constraint (parallel). In the Constraints tab, the PARALLEL constraint is listed, below which are listed the two lines to which the constraint applies.

Move the cursor over the PARALLEL constraint in the Constraints tab, and the two lines that have this constraint are highlighted.

Move the cursor over either line below PARALLEL. The relevant line is highlighted.

Now select the inner line, which has two constraints applied to it. These two constraints are lsted: PARALLEL and TANGENT.

Now click All. The four objects (two lines, two circles) are listed, along with several blockmarks. These are the constraint markers themselves, which can be selected and deleted if you want to remove the constraint. In the Constraints tab, two items are listed for each constraint - one for each of the constrained objects.

Select any blockmark in the palette to see it highlighted onscreen (Highlighting must be enabled).

Audit System:

“Audit” is added to menu “Filters”. Audit System is used to detect a ‘bad’ object in drawing. A ‘bad’ object triggers at least one audit conditions.

Font-weight: normal;

Font-style: normal;"New item “Audit” was added to menu “Filters”.

- The possibility to highlight ‘bad’ objects in Selection Info palette

- The possibility to turn on/off audit conditions and changing their parameters

- The possibility to generate an audit report for one or more objects

- The possibility to filter ‘bad’ objects in Selection Info palette

The possibility to send notify (about a ‘bad’ object) to Event Viewer palette

The bad objects are highlighted in the selection info palette with severity mark with audit icons.

Audit Options:

Audit icons which are shown in Selection Info Palette with objects can be enabled or disabled by Selection Info Palette Options dialogue box. To open Selection Info Palette Options dialogue box select options icon from selection info menu bar.

Select "Options..." from Selection Info Palette Options.

“Audit” section

New audit condition 'ACIS check entity' (Level = 70) was added. Switched 'Off' by default.

2D-3D Selector

The properties 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 between2D 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: 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: 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: Treats objects differently; 2D objects are treated as 2D objects and 3D objects are treated as 3D objects. Edit Properties: If this option is set, double-clicking on an object with the selector will open its Properties dialog. Edit Content (Geometry): If this option is set, double-clicking on any object with the selector will set the object for editing. For most objects, this will be the equivalent of activating the edit tool. For text double clicking will allow you to edit the text content. Customize: Allows you to specify how double clicking will act for each class of 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. The options are:

Box
None

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

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

Configuration

Use Conceptual: Activates the Conceptual Selector (3D).

Coordinate System

CS Stands for COORDINATE SYSTEM 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 coordinate system (workplane) used by the Inspector bar. Because these settings work in tandem with other settings, their performance can become complex. Entity CS: Inspector bar CS equals the CS of the selected objects. User CS: Inspector bar CS equals the CS of the current workplane (UCS). World CS: Inspector bar CS equals the world CS.

Dragging Options

Show Object: Displays the selected objects dynamically as they are transformed. If not checked, only the selection shell is visible. Two options are available which allow you to activate showing object for Wireframe, or Render, or both. Rotation Bar (dragging with Ctrl key): 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.

Inspector Bar

Manipulation

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. Set by normal of facet: New mode is meant to facilitate the assembling of 3D objects. If Set by normal of facet = On and snap to facet is turned on (Nearest on facet = On), then Z axis of the selector is placed on the normal to the facet.

Classic

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.

Select by Color

Default UI Menu: Edit/Select by/Color

Ribbon UI Menu:

Hotkey: Ctrl+K

Selects objects of specified colors. By default, the color list contains all colors used by visible objects in the drawing. The default list does not include colors used by objects that are contained within groups and blocks. See Color Palette Press Shift to select a range of colors from the list. Press Ctrl select or deselect individual colors. Recursive: Colors of objects contained within groups and blocks are added to the color list. Because the color list needs to be rebuilt, select this option before selecting colors. Search with: Or: Objects that contain at least one of the highlighted colors will be selected. Only: Objects that contain all of the highlighted colors, and only those colors, will be selected. And: Objects that contain all of the highlighted colors will be selected. Add to current selection: All objects selected by the color match will be added to any current selection in the drawing.

Select by Attribute

Default UI Menu: Edit/Select by/Attribute

Ribbon UI Menu:

Hotkey: Ctrl+I

Selects objects that share the same text in their Attribute fields. This field is on the General page of their Properties window. Type text in the Attribute field that exactly matches the contents of the Attribute field of a set of objects, then click OK to select the objects. The attribute text can contain the wildcard symbl. For example, the attribute "Wall" will select "Wall1," "Wall+Window" and WallBrick." All characters that follow the * symbol will be ignored. Case sensitive: The search will distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters. All Entities: Selects all objects that share the specified text attribute. Group names only: Selects only groups that share the specified text attribute. Block names only: Selects only blocks that share the specified block name - the name that is assigned to a block while creating. The name of an inserted block is listed in the Refers to the field of the Properties window, Block Insertion page. Text entities only: Select only text objects that share the specified text attribute.

Note: The attribute of a text object is the text string itself.

Exact match: Selects all attributes that exactly contain the text in the Attribute field. By string: Selects all attributes that contain the string in the Attribute field. Add to current selection: All objects selected by the attribute match will be added to any current selection in the drawing.

Select by Entity Type

Default UI Menu: Edit/Select by/Entity Type

Ribbon UI Menu:

Selects objects of specified types. Press Shift to select a range of types from the list. Press Ctrl to select or deselect individual types. Add to current selection: All objects selected by the match will be added to any current selection in the drawing.

In this version, Circle/Ellipse item of previous DC versions is separated into two cases: Circle or Ellipse. The same is for Circular and Elliptical arcs. Previous versions could not select Circles or Arcs separately.

Select by Fence

Default UI Menu: Edit/Select by/Fence

Ribbon UI Menu:

Selects a set of objects by drawing a closed polygonal "fence" around them. See Irregular Polygon for details on how to create the fence. If Open Window Mode is activated, all objects completely or partially inside the fence will be selected.

If Open Window Mode is not activated, only objects completely inside the fence will be selected.

Select by Layer

Default UI Menu: Edit/Select by/Layer

Ribbon UI Menu:

Hotkey: Ctrl+L Selects objects that lie on specific layers. Press Shift to select a range of layers from the list. Press Ctrl select or deselect individual layers. Add to current selection: All objects selected by the layer match will be added to any current selection in the drawing.

Select by Similar

Available in XT Pro only

Default UI Menu: Edit / Select by Similar

Ribbon UI Menu:

A powerful new tool that allows you to select any 2D or 3D object type or a Block and then find all occurrences of that in the drawing. Very detailed selections can be made that include parameters such as pen color and style, brush color and style, layer, even the selected object’s coordinate system. A great tool to use in conjunction with making further global changes to that selected object.

Select Entity By Similar command is available after you've selected an object.

Select Entity By Similar Options command is available if there is at least one open drawing.

Example:

Select an object in the drawing
Then go to the Edit menu and choose Select by Similar:
After choosing Similar, a new Dialog box will appear which will let you define which of the selected object’s parameters will be selected:

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Result: All the objects that are on the same layer as the selected object will be selected automatically.

Following are the available Properties for Similar By command:

Type	Graphic type
Shape	The Shape filter compares geometry measurements such as Area, Perimeter, Volume, Surface Area, number of Vertices/Edges/Faces to determine if the two objects are the same
Pen Color	Pen Color property
Pen Style	Pen Style property
Brush Color	Brush Color property. Disabled if object does not support brush.
Brush Style	Brush Style property. Disabled if object does not support brush.
Layer	Layer property
Attribute	Attribute property
Object Style	Style property. Enabled for regen-method only.
Object Properties	List of regen-method properties. Enabled for regen-method only.
2D/3D	Graphic dimension 2D or 3D. Disabled for paper spaces.
Solid Mode	ACIS/Surface/Smesh. Disabled for paper spaces. Disabled for 2D graphics.
Plane	XY plane of Local CS. Disabled for paper spaces.
Matrix	Local CS matrix.Disabled for paper spaces. This is the working title of graphic's coordinate system,which is stored as a matrix of 3D coordinate system.There are three types of coordinates system available. - Entity Coordinate System (ECS) - Object Coordinate System (OCS) - Graphic Coordinate System (GCS)