The explorer view shows the logical structure of the current scene as tree with expandable and collapsible nodes. The rules for selecting in the explorer are different from the 3D and schematic views, and are described in this section.
Selected nodes are highlighted in white in the explorer, and the children of a branch-selected node are highlighted in gray.
You can use the explorer in a viewport or a floating window, or you can use the buttons on the Select panel to quickly open pop-up explorers from which you can select.
For information about using the explorer in general, see The Explorer [Interface and Tools]. In particular, you may need to set the explorer’s scope and display filters to show the nodes you want to select.
What You Can Select in the Explorer
You can select any node at any time in the explorer, including objects, properties, groups, passes, partitions, and so on. The selection filters on the Select panel are ignored when selecting in the explorer.
Note that selecting parameters has the effect of marking them for animation. In addition, you cannot select components in the explorer.
Selecting Nodes in the Explorer
You can select nodes in explorer views simply by clicking on them. You do not need to activate a selection tool first.
Selecting a Single Node in the Explorer
To select any node in the explorer
• Click on its name.
Note that clicking on its icon opens the corresponding property editor without selecting the node.
To branch-select any object in the explorer
• Middle-click on its name.
Multi-selecting Nodes in the Explorer
You can use the Shift key to select multiple objects in the explorer. When you Shift+click to add a second node to the selection, the rules are as follows:
• If the both first and second nodes are of the same type (3D object, property, group, pass, partition, etc.), then all nodes of that type between them are added to the selection.
Other types of elements in-between are not selected; for example, if you click on a 3D object and then Shift+click on another 3D object, then all visible 3D objects in-between become selected, but properties, shaders, and so on, remain unselected. When Shift+clicking in the explorer, models and 3D objects are considered to be one type, as are properties and materials (but not shaders).
• If the two nodes are of different types, the second one is simply added to the selection.
Only visible nodes are selected. Nodes that are under a collapsed node remain unaffected.
To multi-select a range of nodes in the explorer
1. Select the first node in the range.
You can select the node in any way, using the explorer or not. However, note that if a node appears multiple times in the explorer (for example, if it is a member of a group), you should select it in the explorer so that it uses the correct “anchor point” for subsequent clicks.
2. Shift+click on the name of the last node in the range.
- Use the left mouse button to add nodes to the selection.
- Use the middle mouse button to add branches to the selection.
3. To add ranges to the selection, Ctrl+click on the first element in a new range and then Ctrl+Shift+click on the last element.
Toggle-selecting Nodes in the Explorer
Use the Ctrl key to toggle a node between selected and unselected.
To toggle selection in the explorer
• Ctrl+click on the name of any node.
- Use the left mouse button to toggle nodes.
- Use the middle mouse button to toggle branches.
Deselecting Nodes in the Explorer
Use Ctrl+Shift to deselect nodes individually in the explorer.
To deselect nodes in the explorer
• Ctrl+Shift+click on the name of any node.
- Use the left mouse button to deselect nodes.
- Use the middle mouse button to deselect branches.
Autodesk Softimage v.7.5