Selecting

This page discusses specific selecting tools for surface objects in Edit Mode. The Surface Edit more also uses the general select tools used which are described in the interface section.

Surface selection in Edit Mode is very similar to NURBS curve selection. The basic tools are the same as with meshes, so you can select a simple control point with an LMB-click, add to current selection with Shift-LMB clicks, Border Select, and so on.

Select Menu

The Select menu (in the 3D Viewport header) is even simpler than for curves…

All these options have the same meaning and behavior as in Object Mode (and the specificities of Box Select in Edit Mode have already been discussed in the mesh section).

All A

Select all.

None Alt-A

Select none.

Inverse Ctrl-I

Selects all the geometry that are not selected, and deselect currently selected components.

Box Select B

Interactive box selection.

Circle Select C

Interactive circle selection.

Select Random

Select random control points.

Checker Deselect

Select every Nth control point.

Select Linked Ctrl-L

Select control points that are connected to the current selection.

Select Similar Shift-G

Select control points that have similar properties to the current selection.

Select Control Point Row

Select a whole row of control points.

Select More/Less

Select objects based on their parent child relationships.

Select Random

Reference

Mode

Edit Mode

Menu

Select ‣ Select Random

Select random control points.

Percent

Selects the defined percentage of control points.

Random Seed

Seed used by the pseudo-random number generator.

Action

Controls whether the operator Selects or Deselects control points.

Checker Deselect

Reference

Mode

Edit Mode

Menu

Select ‣ Checker Deselect

This tool applies an alternating selected/deselected checker pattern. This only works if you already have more than one control point selected.

It works by changing the current selection so that only every Nth control points will remain selected, starting from the active one.

Deselected

The number of deselected elements in each pattern repetition.

Selected

The number of selected elements in each pattern repetition.

Offset

Offset from the starting point.

Select Linked

Reference

Mode

Edit Mode

Menu

Select ‣ Select Linked

Hotkey

L, Ctrl-L

Select Linked will add to the selection the mouse cursor’s nearest control point, and all the linked ones, i.e. all points belonging to the same surface.

Select Similar

Reference

Mode

Edit Mode

Menu

Select ‣ Select Similar

Hotkey

Shift-G

Selects control points that have certain similar properties to the active one. The Adjust Last Operation panel provides several selection options:

Type
Type

Selects splines that have the same spline Type i.e. Bézier, NURBS or Poly.

Radius

Selects control points that have a similar Radius value.

Weight

Selects all points that have a similar Weight value.

Direction

Selects control points that have a similar handles direction.

Compare

Equal, Greater, Less. (only for Radius, Weight) (ToDo 2.76)

Threshold

Precision (ToDo 2.76)

Select Control Point Row

Reference

Mode

Edit Mode

Menu

Select ‣ Control Point Row

Hotkey

Shift-R

This option works a bit like edge loop selection for meshes, inasmuch it selects a whole row of control points, based on the active (the last selected) one. The first time you press Shift-R, the V row passing through (containing) the active point will be added to the current selection. If you use again this shortcut, you will toggle between the U and V row of this point, removing everything else from the selection.

Select More/Less

Reference

Mode

Edit Mode

Menu

Select ‣ More/Less

Hotkey

Ctrl-NumpadPlus / Ctrl-NumpadMinus

Expand or contract the selection based on current selected control points.

More

For each selected control point, select all its linked points (i.e. two, three or four).

Less

For each selected control point, if all points linked to this point are selected, keep it selected. For all other selected control points, deselect them.

This implies two points:

  1. First, when all control points of a surface are selected, nothing will happen (as for Less, all linked points are always selected, and of course, More cannot add any). Conversely, the same goes when no control point is selected.

  2. Second, these tools will never “go outside” of a surface (they will never “jump” to another surface in the same object).