Selection Mode

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Selection Mode.jpg

Default Shortcut: A, S, D, F, and G

Menu Path: Selection > Selection Mode

Description

In Silo, the Selection Mode determines which scene elements can be selected and manipulated at a given time. Most commands will require a certain selection mode, since they can only be applied to that type of geometry. The available modes are object, face, edge, vertex, and multi. All modes except object selection mode are considered component selection modes.

The component selection modes are also object-specific. If you select one or more objects in object selection mode, and then go into a component selection mode, only components of selected objects will be selectable. This allows you to focus your edits on certain objects and not accidentally select unwanted geometry. For example, if you had a complex scene of a city where each building was a separate object, you could select a single building in object mode, and then go into one of the component modes to edit that building. No other geometry from the city would be editable until you went back into object mode. If no objects are selected, all objects will be editable when entering a component selection mode.

Object Selection Mode

The object selection mode plays a key role in Silo. An object can be any combination of geometry, but typically each time you create a new primitive or load in a shape, it is a separate object as would be expected. Geometry can not be continuous across two separate objects, so if you want to connect two objects together to make a single surface, you will need to merge them into a single object first. Object-specific properties include display mode, subdivision level, and symmetry.

Face Selection Mode

This mode lets you select the individual faces (also known as polygons) which comprise an object. Each face is made up of three or more vertices and the edges which run between those vertices.

Edge Selection Mode

This mode lets you select the individual edges (also known as lines) which lie between the faces or as individual line segments in an object. Each edge is defined by the two vertices at its endpoints.

Vertex Selection Mode

This mode lets you select the individual vertices (also known as points or control points) which define the faces and edges of a model.

Multi Selection Mode

With this mode, faces, edges, and vertices will all be selectable, although you can still only select components of one type at a time. If you have an edge selected, for example, you will only be able to select edges until you deselect everything, at which point you can select any edge, vertex, or face and continue selecting more of that component. Many users use this mode almost exclusively rather than specifying one of the component types.

Notes

  • The Convert Selection To submenu performs similar functions, but will attempt to maintain an equivalent selection across modes.
  • You can make multiple objects into a single object using Merge or Combine Objects. You can make part of an object into a new, separate object using Break.