Select Subobjects

To select a face, edge, or vertex of a 3D object, press Ctrl as you select the object. Selected subobjects display different types of grips, depending on the subobject type.

You can select one or more subobjects on any number of 3D objects. The selection set can include more than one type of subobject. Press Ctrl to select subobjects at the selection prompts of the MOVE, ROTATE, SCALE, and ERASE commands.

You can remove an item from the selection set by pressing the Shift key and selecting it again.

Select Subobjects on Composite 3D Solids

Press and hold Ctrl to select faces, edges, and vertices on composite solids. If the History property of the composite solid is set to Record, the first “pick” might select the history subobject. (The history subobject is the portion of the original object that was removed during the union, subtract, or intersect operation.) Continue to hold down Ctrl and pick again to select a face, edge, or vertex on the original form.

Cycle Through Multiple Subobjects

Selection sets can contain any number of 3D solids, surfaces, meshes, and subobjects.

In 3D views, some objects or subobjects might be hidden behind others. You can press Ctrl+Spacebar to cycle through the hidden subobjects until the object you want to select is highlighted.

For example, when you select faces on a box, the face in the foreground is detected first. To select a hidden face, press the Spacebar (with Ctrl still pressed). Release the Spacebar and click to select the face.

For best results, make sure that Selection Preview is turned on in the Options dialog box. If selection preview is turned off, you can cycle through hidden subobjects by pressing Ctrl+Spacebar as you click until the subobject is selected.

Turn on the Subobject Selection Filter

Selecting a specific type of subobject can be difficult on complex objects, such as meshes. You can limit the selection to a face, edge, vertex, or history subobject by setting a subobject selection filter.

Stored in the SUBOBJSELECTIONMODE system variable, this setting can be changed from the shortcut menu or on the ribbon.

When a subobject filter is turned on, the following icons are displayed near the cursor:

	Vertex filtering is on
	Edge filtering is on
	Face filtering is on
	History subobject filtering is on
	Subobject not eligible for selection