Google - SketchUp

Lesson 20: The “Select” tool

Selection Methods

Before we proceed with the rest of the tools, lets just understand a bit about the “Select” tool.
I have said nothing about it till now, yet we have already used it several times, so it is time I write something about it. Moreover, it is always useful when you know the right way to use this tool.

With the “Select” tool, we select one or more parts of one or more objects in the drawing area. I think everyone is smart enogh to know that.
Let me explain the different ways of selecting in the following table:

 

Click on a surface, this is filled with black dots, and this surface is selected.

l14_1

If you click on an edge, then the line is colored in blue and this edge is selected.

l14_2

 

Clicking twice on a surface, the surface and the edges around it are selected.

l14_3

Click on a surface three times, then the entire object is selected.

l14_4

 

You can also select multiple parts of an object by holding the Shift key on your keyboard, hold it while the various parts of the object are clicked.

The same when you deselect the selected parts.

Keep the Shift key on your keyboard pressed while you click the selected part.

Another way to select something, is by clicking and dragging in the drawing area.

Click and drag from left to right with the mouse pointer around the object, then only the objects that are entirely in the bounding box are selected.
Click and drag from right to left, then all objects are completely selected though they are only partially in the selection.

You see the difference
By dragging from left to right I have 5 edges plus 1 plane selected, and by dragging from right to left I have 8 edges and 3 planes selected.

As you may have also noticed in the above image, when you click and drag from left to right, the bounding box is in full lines, and when you click and drag from right to left, it is in dotted lines.

Again you can work with the Shift key or Ctrl key on your keyboard to select or deselect different adjacent or non-adjacent objects.

To deselect all selected objects, click anywhere on an empty space in the drawing area.

Awesome!
You've completed Lesson 20
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