Selecting objects for editing

You can select a single object or multiple objects for editing from the Project Tree and the 3D Window.

Selecting a single object from the Project Tree

To select a single object from the Project Tree:

§  In the Project Tree, right-click the object, and then from the object’s shortcut menu, select Properties.

The object’s property sheet opens.

Selecting a single object from the 3D window

To select a single object from the 3D Window:

1.      On the Home tab, in the Edit group, click Select.

2.      In the 3D Window, select the object. A yellow frame surrounds the object and the object’s property sheet opens.

To turn off the select mode:

§  On the Home tab, in the Edit group, toggle off the Select command, or close the property sheet.

Selecting multiple objects from the Project Tree

To select multiple objects from the Project Tree:

1.      In the Project Tree, select the required objects. See "Selecting sequential tree items" and "Selecting non-sequential tree items" in the "Using the Project Tree" chapter for more information. If all the objects are in a group, click the group.

2.      Right-click, and then from the shortcut menu, select Properties.

The Multi-Edit property sheet opens.

Selecting multiple objects from the 3D window

To select multiple objects from the 3D Window:

1.      On the Home tab, in the Edit group, click Select.

2.      Press and hold the CTRL key.

3.      In the 3D Window, select each of the objects you want. A yellow frame surrounds each of the selected objects.

Note:       If you want to deselect an object, click the previously selected object while the CTRL key is still pressed. The object becomes deselected in the same manner as it was selected.

4.      Right-click and then from the shortcut menu, select Properties. The Multi-Edit property sheet opens including a top bar with mode buttons for moving the object in the XY plane and Z axis, and aligning the objects to the ground or a drawing surface.

Selecting all objects in a selected area in the 3D window

You can select an area in the 3D Window and edit all the objects within the area.

To select objects in a selected area in the 3D Window:

1.      On the Home tab, in the Edit group, click the arrow under Select and then click Area Selection.

2.      In the 3D Window, select the area polygon points by clicking the mouse. You must select at least three points in the 3D Window.

3.      Set the selection area by right-clicking. All objects within this selection area are marked with yellow selection frames.

Note:       The individual objects are only marked with the yellow selection frames once the selection process is complete.

Note:       Do not overlap the lines of the selection polygon with each other. This may result in an erroneous selection.

Note:       You can repeat steps 2 and 3 several times until you get the required selection.

4.      Right-click on one of the selected objects, and then from the shortcut menu, select Properties.

The Multi-Edit property sheet opens.

Note:    The area selection tool does not affect the selection in the Project Tree.

To turn off the Area Selection mode:

§  On the Home tab, in the Edit group, click the arrow under Select and then toggle off the Area Selection command.