Selecting Using the Selection Traps

You can use the mouse to select objects either by dragging a bounding outline, or through the different trap selection modes provided.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin:
  • Selection traps do not allow you to select sub-elements (edges, faces, vertices, etc.).
  • When objects are selected through the Select command, a contextual menu named xxx object (when one object is selected) or Selected objects (when multiple objects are selected) is available. The commands available in this contextual menu are also available through Edit > xxx object or Edit > Selected objects. However, the contextual menu is not displayed if more than 50 objects are selected. To be able to display it, increase the value of the Limit display of manipulators to ... element(s) option accordingly.
Related Topics
About the Tools Palette

Use the Bounding Outline

You can use your mouse to drag a bounding outline and select the objects it contains.

  1. Click Select to enter selection mode, if it is not already activated.

  2. Drag (using the left mouse button).

    A bounding outline appears as you drag.

  3. Drag the bounding outline until the objects you want to select are completely inside the bounding outline.

    The objects must be completely inside the bounding outline: if not, they are not be selected.

  4. Release the mouse.

The objects are highlighted to indicate that they have been selected.

Warning: When using the bounding outline in the Part Design workbench, you can only select the last feature you created, not the whole part.

Use the Selection Traps

When working in different workbenches, you can use a different trap selection mode for each workbench. However, if you open multiple windows for a same document in a workbench, the trap selection mode will be the same for all windows.

  1. Pull away the Select toolbar which provides several modes to select using traps:



    By default, Rectangle Selection Mode is active but it is deactivated as soon as you select another mode because only one mode at a time can be active.

    When the toolbar is docked, the icon of the chosen selection mode replaces the Select icon to indicate that this mode is active.

    When the toolbar is undocked, both the chosen selection mode AND the Select icon are activated. The reason is that whenever you are in selection mode, the Select icon is activated and displayed in the docked toolbar. You are in selection mode each time a command is over because whenever the selection is available, it is the default command. If you have already chosen a selection mode before running a command, then the icon of the chosen selection mode is displayed in the docked toolbar but as soon as the command is over, the Select icon replaces the former icon.

  2. Click the selection trap of your choice.

    If you select a mode other than the default one then deselect it, then the default mode is automatically activated.

    Whatever the selection mode, you can keep on selecting objects as long as the selection mode is active, you do not have to click its icon before each selection.

  3. Drag the trap.

    Warning:
    • When Polygon Selection Mode is active, each click you make is identified by a new point of the polygonal trap. However, as long as this mode is active, the mouse clicks are not received by the current command which means that:
      • In the Select command, you cannot empty your selection by clicking an empty space.
      • In Sketcher commands, you cannot draw sketch elements.

      To deselect a selected object, press Esc twice.

    • When Polygon Selection Mode is active, the following visualization commands are deactivated as soon as you start dragging the trap: Full Screen, Perspective, Parallel, Fit All In, Rotate, Normal View, Multi-View as well as the standard views. These commands are grayed out in the View menu and in the View toolbar.

  4. Release the mouse.

The objects are highlighted to indicate that they have been selected.

Note: Regarding intersection with points when using Outside Intersecting Rectangle Selection Trap, only point symbols whose middle point is located inside the trap are selected as shown below:

Point is not selected Point is selected