18 .. ENTITY SELECTIONENTITY SELECTION
There are several methods of Selecting EntitiesSelecting Entities within Deswik.CAD depending on the type of selection required by the user.
Entities selected will display differently in the Model Space, depending on which option is selected from the View | Solid Selection toolbar, which is ‘pinned’ vertically on the left side of the CAD display.
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COMMANDOMMAND BBUTTONUTTON/I/ICONCON DDISPLAYISPLAY View
View | Solid Selection | GripsSolid Selection | Grips
View
View | Solid Selection | Solid Selection | HighlightHighlight
View
View | Solid Selection | BoxSolid Selection | Box
The default selection view is View | Solid Selection | Box , however entities in the Model Space can be selected with no active view command or a combination of the selection view commands.
18.1.
18.1. SINGLE AND MULTIPLE SELECTIONSINGLE AND MULTIPLE SELECTION
A single entity or a selection of entities can be selected from the Model Space in Deswik.CAD.
To select a single entity, hover over the entity in the Model Space and click on the entity to select it.
When selecting Entities , always check the Properties window to confirm the correct number and type of Entities have been selected.
To select multiple entities;
1. Hover over the required entity in the Model Space then click on the entity to select it.
2. Hold down the <CTRLCTRL> key and select any other required entities.
When multiple Entities are selected, the Properties window displays the number of Selected Entities , however will only display the Entity type ( TypeName ), if all Selected Entities are the same type.
18.2.
18.2. BLUE VS GREEN SELECTION WINDOWBLUE VS GREEN SELECTION WINDOW
Clicking and dragging a selection window over entities in the Model Space will result in different selections depending on the direction of the selection window.
Dragging the window fromleftleft to rightright produces a blue selection windowblue selection window which selects all entities that fall completely inside
completely inside the selection window.
Dragging the window fromrightright to leftleft produces a green selection windowgreen selection window which selects all entities that fall partially inside
partially inside the selection window.
B
BLUELUESSELECTIONELECTIONWWINDOWINDOW
A blue selection window has been dragged over multiple entities in the Model Space.
The green polyline and 2 points are selected as they are the only entities completely inside the blue selection window.
G
GREENREENSSELECTIONELECTIONWWINDOWINDOW
A green selection window has been dragged over multiple entities in the Model Space.
All the entities that were completely inside the green selection window are selected.
18.3.
18.3. SELECTING ENTITIES WITHIN A COMMANDSELECTING ENTITIES WITHIN A COMMAND
When Deswik.CAD prompts the user to select entities from within a command, the entities display in the Model Space with a series of dotted lines as the following examples illustrate;
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ENTITYNTITYTTYPEYPE EENTITY IN THENTITY IN THEMMODELODELSSPACEPACE
Polyline
Surface
Solid
To avoid incorrect processing of entities, if any objects display as shown above when selected, and the user is unsure of what command is running to create this appearance, hit <Esc> to clear out of all commands and start again.
18.4.
18.4. LAYER CONTROL SELECTINGLAYER CONTROL SELECTING
Entities of a certain type contained on a specific layer, can be selected via the LayerLayer ControlControl window.
To select entities via the Layer Control window;
1. Right-clickRight-click on the desired layer.
2. From the presented shortcut menu, click Select EntitiesSelect Entities which in turn presents a list of entity types that can be selected on that layer.
Optional Practice
Use the different selection methods as described above to select various entity types in the Model Space.
18.5.
18.5. GRIPSGRIPS
Select an entity in theModel SpaceModel Space, and GripsGrips are displayed at strategic points on these entities. These GripsGrips are small, blue square outlines, although some entities will display one solid blue squareGripGrip as well.
Some entities, such as polylines, have a ‘direction’ associated with them that is dependent on the order that the points were drawn. The start points of polylines will be indicated by a blue, heavy-outlined circle to differentiate them visually from the other grips.
18.5.1.
18.5.1. MODIFY A POLYLINE WITH GRIPSMODIFY A POLYLINE WITH GRIPS
In this exercise, we will digitize a simple haulroad polyline and modify it by selecting a Grip.
To modify a polyline with Grips;
1. Add a new layer and name it: 0\PRACTICE\GRIPS0\PRACTICE\GRIPS 2. Isolate the layer and make it visible and active.
3. Draw a simple polyline in the Model Space by running the Draw | PolylineDraw | Polyline command or click the button from the toolbar.
4. Follow the prompts to draw a simple polyline andright-clickright-click to complete the command.
5. Select the polyline by clicking on it.
6. Position the cursor directly over aGripGrip until the GripGrip turns yellow.
7. Left-clickLeft-click to select the Grip.
Deswik.CAD highlights the selected entity (using dashed lines) and displays a ‘leader’ line from the selected Grip’s
Grip’s current location to the cursor location. When the cursor is moved, the position of the Grip is changed.
8. Click a second time when satisfied with the new position of theGripGrip.
Deswik.CAD will move the grip to the new location, modifying the entity.
Finish checking the entity in the Model Space, hit <Esc> and ensure there are no entities selected.
18.6.
18.6. IDENTIFY AND MODIFY ENTITIESIDENTIFY AND MODIFY ENTITIES
There are several options and commands available in Deswik.CAD to identify and modify entities. As outlined earlier, the easiest way to identify an entity is to select the entity in the Model Space and refer to the Properties window.
To modify entities;
1. Select the entity in the Model Space.
2. From the Main menu click theModifyModify tab to display an extensive menu of Modify commands.
The Modify | Polylines | Connect commands are shown below as an example of the Modify commands.
Many of the Modify commands in Deswik.CAD are covered in the more advanced Deswik Training Tutorials.
Chapter Review
Before proceeding to the next chapter, review the subjects below and confirm the particular skills have been acquired. These skills and knowledge should include;
S
SKILLSKILLS&& KKNOWLEDGENOWLEDGE CCHAPTERHAPTERRREFERENCEEFERENCE
Select more than one entity at a time. Single and Multiple Selection
Use the appropriate selection method when required. Blue vs Green Selection Window Select entity’s without disturbing the model space. Layer Control Selecting
Grips. Grips
Modify a polyline with grips. Modify a Polyline with Grips
Identify and modify entities. Identify and Modify Entities
The theories covered in these topics can now be applied to similar processes.
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19 .. SNAPPINGSNAPPING