Selection of objects in the Render Window is accomplished using <Shift> in combination with the mouse. The different methods that can be used for selecting objects in the Render Window are as follows:
Using the Mouse To display the selection
in the Render Window, select the Wireframe or Boundings option in the Icons Bar.
• Hold <Shift>. Note that a square is attached to the cursor (as shown in Figure 2–5),indicating that you have entered selection mode. Click on the object or geometry you want to select.
Figure 2–5
• Hold <Shift>+<Ctrl> and click on additional parts in the scene to select multiple geometry.
• Hold <Shift>+<Ctrl> and right-click on selected parts in the scene to remove them from selection.
Hint: Changing the Wireframe and Bounding Box Color The default color of the wireframe and bounding box can be changed in the Preferences dialog box. Select
Edit>Preferences. In the Preferences dialog box, select Render Options. In the Visualisation tab, in the Wireframe rollout (shown in Figure 2–4), click on the color swatch to the right of the Wireframe Color slider to open the Choose a Color dialog box. Select the color that you want to use and click
. Use the Wireframe Color slider to set the brightness of the color. Click to accept the new color.
Figure 2–4
Using the Frame Rectangle
Two selection modes use the frame rectangle: Window and Crossing. When you hold <Shift>, you can use the mouse to drag a rectangular selection frame around the objects that you want to select. The direction in which you create the selection frame determines the selection mode that is used, as follows:
• If you drag the selection frame from left to right, you automatically enter the Window selection mode.
• If you drag the selection frame from right to left, you automatically enter the Crossing selection mode.
• Starting from the top or bottom of the selection frame does not affect the mode that is used.
Window: In this mode, only those objects that are completely enclosed in the selection frame are selected.
• While holding <Shift>, click and hold in empty space in the upper left corner of the objects you want to select. Drag the cursor towards the lower right corner of the objects to create a rectangular, dashed window, as shown on the left in
Figure 2–6. Release the mouse button to select the
fully-enclosed objects, as shown on the right in Figure 2–6.
• To add additional objects to the current selection, hold
<Shift>+<Ctrl> and click to create another window (from left to right) around another group of objects. The objects that are completely enclosed by the new selection frame are added to the selection.
Crossing: In this mode, all of the objects inside the selection frame are selected. This includes objects that are underneath other objects, and objects that are touching (but not completely enclosed by) the window.
• While holding <Shift>, click and hold in empty space in the lower right corner of the objects you want to select. Drag the cursor towards the upper left corner of the objects to create a rectangular, dashed window, as shown on the left in
Figure 2–7. Release the mouse button to select all of the objects that are present inside the rectangular crossing window. This includes objects that are underneath other objects, and objects that are touching (but not enclosed by) the window, as shown on the right in Figure 2–7.
• To add additional objects to the selection, hold <Shift>+<Ctrl>
and click to create another crossing window (from right to left) around another group of objects. The objects that are
underneath other objects and objects that are touching the new selection frame are added to the selection.
Figure 2–7
Using the Scenegraph
If geometry is created using many separate and small parts, selecting individual parts in the Render Window can be difficult.
You can use the Scenegraph module to easily select, modify, and edit individual parts.
2.2 Scenegraph
The Scenegraph is the brain of the software, which lists all of the parts and geometry that are included in an Autodesk VRED Professional scene. The list is organized in the form of a tree structure, as shown in Figure 2–8. Each geometric part is called a node. In the Scenegraph you can perform actions and
modifications on these nodes.
The Scenegraph can be toggled open or closed by clicking (Graph) in the Quick Access Bar, by selecting
Scene>Scenegraph, or by selecting Scenegraph from the shortcut menu. As with other modules, the Scenegraph is a modeless dialog box and remains open regardless of the task that you are performing. By default, the Scenegraph is docked on the left side of the Render Window, but it can be undocked or moved as required.
Learning Objectives
• View object hierarchy and understand the types of nodes that are available in the Scenegraph module.
• Select objects and perform various editing operations on objects using the Scenegraph module.