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Chapter 6: Selecting Objects and Setting Object Properties

Pressing the Q keyboard shortcut selects the Select Object mode in the main toolbar, but repeated pressing
of the Q keyboard shortcut cycles through the selection methods. Figure 6.4 shows each of the selection
methods.

FIGURE 6.4
The drill’s front is selected using the Rectangular, Circular, Fence, and Lasso selection methods.

Selecting multiple objects
As you work with objects in Max, you’ll sometimes want to apply a modification or transform to several
objects at once. You can select multiple objects in several ways. Using the Edit ➪ Select by ➪ Name com-
mand, the Select by Name main toolbar button, or by pressing the H key, you can open the Select From
Scene dialog box. With the Select From Scene dialog box open, you can choose several objects from the list
using the standard Ctrl and Shift keys. Holding down the Ctrl key selects or deselects multiple list items,
but holding down the Shift key selects all consecutive list items between the first selected and the second
selected items.
The Ctrl key also works when selecting objects in the viewport using one of the main toolbar Select but-
tons. You can tell whether you’re in select mode by looking for a button that’s highlighted yellow. If you
hold down the Ctrl key and click an object, then the object is added to the current selection set. If you drag
over multiple objects while holding down the Ctrl key, then all items in the dragged selection are added to
the current selection set.
New Feature
When selecting multiple items in previous versions of Max, holding down the Ctrl key toggled the selection of
objects, but in 3ds Max 2011, the Ctrl key is used only to add items to the selection. The Alt key is used to remove
items from the selection. n
The Alt key deselects objects from the current selection set, which is opposite of what the Ctrl key does.
If you drag over several objects while holding down the Shift key, then the selection set is inverted. Each
item that was selected is deselected, and vice versa.
Object hierarchies are established using the Link button on the main toolbar. You can select an entire hier-
archy of objects by double-clicking its parent object. You also can select multiple objects within the hierar-
chy. When you double-click an object, any children of that object are also selected. When an object with a
hierarchy is selected, the Page Up and Page Down keys select the next object up or down the hierarchy.
Another way to select multiple objects is by dragging within the viewport using the Window and Crossing
Selection methods discussed previously in the “Select by Region” section.

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