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Object Selection
b David !atson See also" Advanced Selection

Introduction
#e$ore ou start to use the AutoCAD Modi$ commands" ou need to know something about selecting ob%ects& All o$ the Modi$ commands re'uire that ou make one or more ob%ect selections& AutoCAD has a whole range o$ tools which are designed to help ou select %ust the ob%ects ou need& This tutorial is designed to demonstrate the use o$ man o$ the selection options& As with so man aspects o$ AutoCAD" developing a good working knowledge o$ these options can drasticall improve our drawing speed and e$$icienc &

Selecting Objects by Picking

(erhaps the most obvious wa to select an ob%ect in AutoCAD is simpl to pick it& Those o$ ou who have used other graphics based utilities will be $amiliar with this concept& )enerall all ou have to do is place our cursor over an ob%ect" click the mouse button

and the ob%ect will be selected& *n this respect AutoCAD is no di$$erent $rom an other graphics utilit & !hen ou start a Modi$ command such as +,AS+" two things happen& First" the cursor changes $rom the usual crosshairs to the pickbox and second" ou will the the -Select ob%ects- prompt on the command line& #oth o$ these cues are to let ou know that AutoCAD is e.pecting ou to select one or more ob%ects&
Select objects:

To select an ob%ect" place the pickbo. over a part o$ the ob%ect and le$t/click the mouse& !hen the ob%ect has been picked it is highlighted in a dashed line to show that it is part o$ the current selection and the command line reports -0 $ound-& 1ou will now see the -Select ob%ects- prompt on the command line again& At this point ou can continue adding more ob%ects to the current selection b picking them or ou can press or the Space #ar to complete the selection&

The Crosshairs

The (ickbo.

Highlighted 2b%ect

!hen ou pick one or more ob%ects in response to the -Select ob%ects- prompt" ou are e$$ectivel creating a selection set& Selection sets are an important concept in AutoCAD because the can be used to great e$$ect" especiall when drawings become large or complicated& Top o$ page

An Example
Follow the e.ample below to get an idea how a selection set can be created b picking ob%ects&

Draw Two Circles

Draw two circles using the C*,CL+ command" Draw Circle Center" ,adius $rom the pull/down menu or not matter& $rom the Draw toolbar& The si3e and position o$ the circles does

Command: C*,CL+ Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]:

4pick a

point in the middle o$ the drawing window5

Specify radius of circle or [ iameter] !"#3$%3&:

4pick another point to de$ine 4pick the

the circle circum$erence5 Command: C*,CL+

Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]:

center point o$ the second circle5

Specify radius of circle or [ iameter] !3'#()'$&:

4pick another point to

de$ine the circle circum$erence5

Erase t e Two Circles

+rase the two circles using the +,AS+ command" Modi$ $rom the Modi$ toolbar&
Command: +,AS+ Select objects: ) found Select objects: ) found Select objects:

+rase $rom the pull/down or

4place the pickbo. over a circle circum$erence and le$t/click5 4place the pickbo. over the second circle circum$erence and le$t/click5 4press to complete the selection and erase the ob%ects5

Creating selection sets b picking ob%ects can become 'uite tedious i$ ou want to select a large number o$ ob%ects& 6ust imagine having to pick a hundred or more ob%ects in a large drawing7 Fortunatel AutoCAD provides a number o$ selection options which can help ou select ob%ects more e$$icientl & Top o$ page

!indow Selection
The !indow option is invoked b t ping ! in response to the -Select ob%ects- prompt& !indow allows ou to de$ine a rectangle using two points in e.actl the same wa as the ,+CTA8)L+ command& 2nce the window is de$ined" all ob%ects which lie entirel within the window will be selected&

The !indow selection bo. is shown 2nl ob%ects entirel within the as a rectangle with a solid line window will be selected

Command Se"uence
Command: 4start one o$ the Modi$ commands such as +,AS+5 Select objects: ! *irst corner: 4pick $irst corner5 Specify opposite corner: 4pick second corner5 Select objects: 4at this point ou can either select more ob%ects

or

to complete the

selection set and continue with the current command&5 Top o$ page

Crossing !indow Selection

The Crossing !indow option is invoked b t ping C at the -Select ob%ects- prompt and is a variation o$ the !indow command& The command se'uence is e.actl the same but ob%ects are selected which lie entirel within the window and those which cross the window border&

The Crossing selection bo. is shown 2b%ects within and crossing the as a rectangle with a broken line window will be selected Top o$ page

Implied !indowing
Although ou can e.plicitl invoke the !indow and Crossing !indow selection bo.es b entering ! or C at the ke board when prompted to -Select ob%ects-" in practice this is rarel done& #oth o$ these selection options are so commonl used that AutoCAD provides a method o$ implied windowing so that ou don9t have to use the ke board at all& 1ou can test this out without using an command& *$ ou pick a point in space on the graphic window" ou will notice that AutoCAD automaticall assumes that ou want to de$ine a selection window and uses the pick point as the $irst point o$ that window& *$ ou move the cursor to the right o$ the pick point ou will get a !indow selection bo. 4solid line5& *$ ou move the cursor th the le$t ou will get a Crossing !indow selection bo. 4broken line5& !ith a little bit o$ practice the use o$ implied windowing can make the whole drawing process ver e$$icient and ou will rarel $ind oursel$ having to e.plicitl invoke the window selection options $rom the ke board&

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T e #ndo option
*t o$ten happens that ou inadvertentl add ob%ects which ou don9t want to a selection set during its compilation& !hen this occurs in the middle o$ a complicated selection it can be prett anno ing& Fortunatel AutoCAD allows ou to undo the last selection made during the compilation o$ a selection set& All ou need do is enter : at the ne.t -Select ob%ects- prompt to remove the ob%ects previousl added& Top o$ page

Selecting All Objects

The All option is invoked b t ping ALL at the -Select ob%ects- prompt& 1ou can use this option to select all the ob%ects in the current drawing" no picking is re'uired& 2b%ects on Locked or Fro3en la ers are not selected but ob%ects on la ers which are simpl turned o$$ are selected& Top o$ page

$ence Selection

The Fence option allows ou to draw a multi/segment line" like a (ol line& All ob%ects which cross the $ence will be selected& The Fence option is invoked b t ping F at the -Select ob%ects- prompt&
Command:

4start one o$ the Modi$ commands such as +,AS+5 Command Se"uence

Select objects: F *irst fence point: 4pick $irst point5 Specify endpoint of line or [+ndo]: Specify endpoint of line or [+ndo]:

4pick second point5 4pick another point or

to end $ence

selection5
Select objects:

to complete the selection set or add more ob%ects5

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!indow Polygon Selection

The !indow (ol gon option" invoked b t ping !( is similar to the !indow option e.cept that ou can de$ine an irregular pol gon shape within which ob%ects will be selected& As with the !indow option" onl ob%ects which $all entirel within the pol gon will be selected& Command Se"uence
Command: 4start one o$ the Modi$ commands5 Select objects: !( *irst poly,on point: 4pick $irst point5 Specify endpoint of line or [+ndo]: 4pick Specify endpoint of line or [+ndo]: 4pick Specify endpoint of line or [+ndo]: 4pick

second point5 third point5 another point or

to end pol gon

selection5
Select objects:

to complete the selection set or add more ob%ects5

A pol gon is $ormed b picking at least three points& Top o$ page

Crossing Polygon Selection

The Crossing (ol gon option can be used in e.actl the same wa as the !indow (ol gon option but it has the same selection criteria as the Crossing !indow option" i&e& ob%ects will be selected i$ the $all entirel within or touch the pol gon boundar & This option is invoked b t ping C( at the -Select ob%ects- prompt& %ote& Lines" pol gons and windows drawn using the selection options do not e.ist as drawing ob%ects& 2nce the selection has been made the disappear& Top o$ page

#sing a Pre'ious Selection

AutoCAD alwa s remembers the last selection set ou de$ined& This is ver use$ul because ou ma need to make a number o$ changes using di$$erent commands to the same group o$ ob%ects& *n order to re/select the last selection set ou can use the (revious option& The previous option is invoked b t ping ( at the -Select ob%ects- prompt& Top o$ page

Selecting t e (ast Object

1ou can select the last ob%ect created b entering L at the -Select ob%ects- prompt& Top o$ page

Object Cycling)not understand*

!hen drawings become complicated it is sometimes di$$icult to select the particular ob%ect ou want because it is either ver close to or overlies another ob%ect& *n such a case it ma happen that the other ob%ect is selected and not the one ou want& 2b%ect c cling is designed to overcome this problem& *$ ou make a pick whilst holding the Control 4Ctrl5 ke down" AutoCAD will respond with -;C cle on<-& *$ ou continue to pick" each ob%ect near the pick point is highlighted in rotation& 6ust keep picking until the ob%ect ou want is highlighted" then right/click or " AutoCAD responds -;C cle o$$<-" the re'uired ob%ect is added to the selection set and ou can continue to select more ob%ects as normal& Top o$ page

Adding and +emo'ing Objects

AutoCAD provides two methods $or adding and removing ob%ects to and $rom a selection set& As ou know" ob%ects can be added to a selection set simpl b picking them or b using one o$ the methods outlined above& 1ou can remove selected ob%ects $rom a selection set %ust as easil b shift picking& *$ ou hold the Shi$t ke down on the ke board while picking a selected ob%ect" that ob%ect will be deselected 4removed $rom the current selection set5& 1ou can tell when a selected ob%ect has been deselected because it is no longer highlighted& 1ou can remove more than one ob%ect at a time b holding down the Shi$t ke while using implied windowing& However" none o$ the other selection options which re'uire ke board input will work using the shi$t pick method& *$ ou need to remove a more comple. selection $rom the current selection set ou should use the ,emove option to switch to ,emove mode& *$ ou enter , at the -Select ob%ectsprompt" AutoCAD will respond=
-emo.e objects:

2b%ects now picked or selected using an o$ the above methods will be removed $rom the current selection set& !hen ou have $inished removing ob%ects" ou can return to Add mode b entering A at the -,emove ob%ects- prompt& 1ou can use an combination o$ picking" selection options and add>remove modes to de$ine our selection set& 2nce ou are happ that ou have selected all the ob%ects ou need" %ust hit to complete the selection process and to continue with the current command& !hen ou $eel con$ident with the basic selection tools" have a look at the Advanced Selection tutorial to $ind out how to use AutoCAD9s advanced selection tools $or creating comple. selection sets& Top o$ page

Tips , Tricks

!hen ou are picking ob%ects in a comple. drawing" use the ?22M command transparentl to make ob%ect selection easier& All ?oom options selected $rom the toolbars are automaticall transparent but i$ ou invoke the command $rom the ke board ou will need to enter 93oom&

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