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Modifying the Selection

Once you have selected something using any method in any window, you can use the commands available on the Select panel to modify the selection.

Refining the Selection with the Selection Explorer

When selecting objects in the 3D views, it’s common to accidentally select more than you intended, particularly in crowded scenes. A useful tool in these situations is the Selection button, found at the bottom left of the Select panel.

Click it to display a pop-up explorer showing the selected objects. You can then select, toggle, and deselect elements within the selection. For details, see Selecting in the Explorer.

Modifying the Selection with Filters

Normally, the selection filters determine what you can select with the mouse in the 3D and schematic views. However, you can also use filters to modify what is currently selected. In particular, you can:

• Select all elements of a given type using a filter. For example, you can select all chain elements in a scene, or all points on a geometric object.

• Invert (toggle) the selected elements of a given type using a filter.

• Deselect elements of a given type using a filter. For example if the selection contains a mixture of object types, you can deselect all geometric objects, or if the selection contains a mixture of points and polygons, you can deselect all polygons.

For each command, the following rules apply:

• For object-type filters, the selection is relative to the entire scene.

• For component-type filters, the selection is relative to the active objects.

• These commands do not work with property-type filters.

To select all elements using the current filter

Do one of the following:

• Choose Select > Select All Using Filter.

or

• Press Ctrl+a.

To invert (toggle) selected elements using the current filter

• Choose Select > Invert Using Filter. Selected elements that match the current filter become unselected, unselected elements that match the filter become selected, and other elements are unaffected.

To deselect all elements using the current filter

Do one of the following:

• Choose Select > Deselect All Using Filter.

or

• Press Ctrl+Shift+f.

Converting Hierarchy Selection

When objects in hierarchies are selected, you can convert the selection to branch, tree, or model. You can also convert a branch selection into multiple node selections.

To convert the selection to branch

1. Select one or more objects.

2. Choose Select > Select Branch. The descendants of node-selected objects become branch-selected.

To convert the selection to tree

1. Select one or more objects.

2. Do one of the following:

- Choose Select > Select Tree.

or

- Press Ctrl+t.

The roots of selected objects become selected in branch. The root is the highest node under a model node or under the scene root — this method does not select models.

To convert the selection to model

1. Select one or more objects.

2. Do one of the following:

- Choose Select > Select Model.

or

- Press Ctrl+Shift+t.

If a selected object is part of a model, the model becomes branch-selected. Otherwise if a selected object is not part of any model other than the scene root, its root becomes selected in branch.

To branch-select kinematic chains

1. Select any element of a kinematic chain, such as an effector or bone.

2. Choose Select > Select Chain.

The root of the corresponding chain becomes branch-selected. Note that if you have reparented the effector so that it is no longer part of the chain hierarchy, it is not included in the selection.

To convert a branch selection to multiple nodes

1. Branch-select one or more objects.

2. Choose Select > Select Child Nodes.

All descendants selected in branch become node-selected, and the root of the original branch selection remains selected as well. If a child node is not branch-selected, it remains unselected.

Navigating Hierarchies

You can navigate hierarchies of objects and their properties using the arrow buttons on the Select panel or using keyboard shortcuts. The difference is that the arrow buttons work only with a single selection, while the keyboard shortcuts work with multiple selections. On the other hand, the arrow keys also work with properties, while the keyboard shortcuts only allow you to select the owner of a property.

In all cases, the order for next and previous siblings is determined by the internal order. You can modify this order using the schematic view (see Reordering Child Nodes in the Schematic [Interface and Tools]).

Selection Navigation Arrows

The selection navigation arrows on the Select panel let you select the parents or siblings of objects and properties. They work only with a single selection —if multiple elements are selected then only the last one added to the selection is considered.

You can use the arrows in combination with modifier keys, as well as set some options, as described in the next sections.

To navigate hierarchies using the arrow buttons

• Use the mouse and button combinations shown in the table below.

To set the navigation arrow options

• Right-click on the Previous or Next arrow, then turn any of the following options on or off:

- Same Type of Objects restricts the navigation to objects of the same type. For example, if a geometric object is selected, then the arrow buttons ignores nulls, control objects, and so on.

- Same Type of Clusters restricts the navigation to clusters of the same type of components. For example, if a cluster of points is selected, then the arrow buttons ignores polygon, edge, and sample clusters.

- Loop cycles through siblings so that if the last sibling is selected, then Next selects the first; if the first is selected then Previous selects the last.

Selection Navigation Shortcut Keys

You can navigate among selected objects in hierarchies using keyboard shortcuts. These key combinations work with both single and multiple selections.

Navigating Component Selection

When point, edge, or polygon components are selected, you can use keyboard shortcuts to navigate among them. The order is based on the internal indices of the components; this is particularly useful for points on curves, where the index corresponds exactly to the position of the point along the curve.

Navigating Constraint Relationships

If the selected object is a constraint, you can quickly select the objects it constrains. Similarly if an object is constrained, you can quickly select the objects that constrain it.

To select the objects constrained by the selection

1. Select an object that serves as a constraint.

2. Choose Constrain > Select Objects Constrained. All objects that are constrained by the original object become selected.

The Select Objects Constrained command is also available from context menus in the 3D views (Alt+right-click on an object on Windows, Ctrl+Alt+right-click on Linux), explorer (right-click on an object), and schematic view (Alt+right-click on an object on Windows, Ctrl+Alt+right-click on Linux).

To select the objects constraining the selection

1. Select an object that has a constraint.

2. Choose Constrain > Select Constraining Objects. All objects that constrain the original object become selected.

The Select Constraining Objects command is also available from context menus in the 3D views (Alt+right-click on an object on Windows, Ctrl+Alt+right-click on Linux), explorer (right-click on an object), and schematic view (Alt+right-click on an object on Windows, Ctrl+Alt+right-click on Linux).

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