Select - Pointer/Window

Use the Select menu >Pointer/Window command or the Select Object button to select objects in the model by left clicking on them in the active window. A window is active when the blue title bar at the top of the window is highlighted. Selected objects are indicated by dashed lines.

Note: If multiple objects lie one on top of the other, hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and left click on the objects. The Selection List form will display; highlight the ID for the object(s) to be selected. Use the Ctrl key while left clicking to select multiple objects.

Note: Only objects that are present in the active display window can be selected. For example, if the display of Floors has been turned off in the active window (see Set Display Options), windowing around a portion of the structure that contains those areas will NOT select them. Other, non-graphical selection methods are not restricted by the visibility of the areas (see the other options on the Select menu).

Pointer. Each mouse click on an object selects or deselects the object. Only a single object at a time can be selected/deselected using the Pointer selection. When in Select mode, Pointer selection/deselection is always available. Use the Selection List form when multiple objects are present within the screen selection tolerance of the mouse click.

Tip: It is sometimes easier to select a single point object by drawing a window around it rather than trying to click on it.

Window. Draw a window around one or more objects to select them. Draw a window around an object as follows:

1. Position the mouse pointer above and to the left (or below and to the right) of the object(s) to be selected by windowing.
2. Depress and hold down the left button on the mouse.
3. While keeping the left button depressed, drag the mouse to a position below and to the right (or above and to the left) of the object(s) to be selected.
4. Release the left mouse button.

Tip: If the mouse moves from left to right while dragging, only objects completely inside the window are selected. If the mouse moves from right to left while dragging, objects fully or partially inside the rectangle will be selected. Dragging from top to bottom or bottom to top does not affect selection.

Note: Window selections are additive. Objects in the selection window that were previously selected will stay selected.

Note: Selecting by window in a plan view selects the beams and columns that are visible in the plan.

Objects can also be deselected in Window. To deselect by window, click the Select > Deselect > Pointer/Window command and then draw the selection window as described above. The command must be used each time an object or set of objects is to be deselected. Selection/deselection in Window is not available if the following commands were used:

- Select > Deselect > Pointer/Window
- Select > Select > Intersecting Line
- Select > Deselect > Intersecting Line

After performing a single selection or deselection using one of these commands or any of the other selection/deselection methods on the Select menu, the program automatically returns to selection in Window.