Basics Select objects and components

In Houdini you can select objects or components and then choose a shelf item or command to apply to the selection, or you can choose a shelf item and the tool will prompt you for the type of selection it needs.

The Select tool (S) lets you select objects or geometry before applying shelf items or menu commands.

Selection keys

Keys	Action
	Select
Ctrl + ⇧ Shift +	Add to selection
Ctrl +	Remove from selection
⇧ Shift +	Toggle selection
A	Select all
N	Select nothing

If you want to lock the select tool to add, remove, or toggle mode, right click the Select tool and choose Add, Remove, or Toggle from the menu. Choose Replace to return to the default behavior.

The selection mode controls

• What you can select in the view.

• What node appears in the parameter editor

• What handles appear when you click the Handles tool.

When you select in object mode, the parameter editor will show the parameters for the object (e.g. a light, a geometry container, camera, bone, etc.). When you select in component mode, the parameter editor will show the parameters for the surface node with the display flag.

1	Select objects When you click geometry in this mode, the object is selected. Right click this icon for a menu of object types where you can choose which types of objects are selectable.
	Select components Right click this icon for a menu of component types. 2 Points 3 Edges 4 Faces 5 Vertices Breakpoints Point groups Face groups When you click geometry in this mode, any components of the chosen type (faces, edges, points, breakpoints, point groups, or face groups) will be selected.
F8	Switch between object and component selection
	Select particles Right click this icon for a menu where you can choose selecting particle nodes vs. individual particles. See particle systems.
	Select dynamics Right click this icon for a menu where you can choose whether to select dynamics objects and/or dynamics modifiers (e.g. forces). See dynamics.

You can change the type of drag selection by right-clicking the Select tool and choosing one of the following:

	Box	The default. Dragging draws a box. When you release the mouse button, everything inside the box is selected.
	Brush	Dragging over objects/components selects them.
	Lasso	Dragging draws a freeform shape. When you release the mouse button, everything inside the shape is selected.

(Also known as selection masks.)

Right click the selection type icons (Object, Component, Particles, or Dynamics) to show a menu of subtypes which you can allow to be selected or prevent from being selected.

This lets you, for example, work with characters and props in your scene without worrying about accidentally selecting lights.

In the network editor, click the Selectable flag to make the object unselectable.

Changing the selection type converts the current selection into the chosen type. You can use this to grow the selection by alternating between selection types.

If you have faces selected, you can convert the selection to points by pressing 2 (Select Points). Then, if you convert the selection back to faces by pressing 4 (Select Primitives), the outer ring of faces is now selected.

You can continue to grow the selection by alternately typing 2 and 4.

The reselect geometry command lets you reselect the input to an existing modeling operation. This lets you edit the construction history by changing the points/faces/etc. the operation applies to.

1. Select the node for which you want to change the selection.

2. Right click the Select tool and choose Reselect for tool.