Selecting Items

With large models it is potentially a very time consuming process to select items of interest. JetStream makes this a much simpler task by providing a range of functions for quickly selecting items both interactively and by searching the model manually and automatically. The main groups of functionality concerned with selecting items are:

Also connected with selecting items is finding items, which is covered in

In JetStream there is the concept of an active selection set (the currently selected items, or the current selection) and saved selections sets. Selecting and finding items makes them part of the current selection, so you can hide them or override their colors. At any time, the current selection can be saved and named for retrieval in later sessions.

Selection Trees

The selection tree is a tabbed control bar which displays a variety of hierarchical views of the structure of the model, as defined by the CAD application in which the model was created.

By default there are four tabs, called Standard Compact Properties and Sets

"Standard" displays the default tree hierarchy, including all instancing. The contents of this tab can be sorted alphabetically by right-clicking on any item in the tree and selecting Scene->Sort . It is not possible to undo this action.
"Compact" displays a simplified version of the "Standard" hierarchy, omitting various items. You can control the level of complexity of this tree using the Select options (see for more information).
"Properties" displays the hierarchy based on the items' properties. This enables simple manual searching of the model by item property. See for a much more powerful way of searching the model for items with certain properties.
"Sets" simply shows the same view as the selection sets control bar.

Naming of items reflects the names from the original CAD application, wherever possible.

There are several different tree icons representing the types of item that make up the structure of a model:

A model, such as a drawing file or design file.

A layer or level.

A group, such as a block definition from AutoCAD or cell definition from MicroStation.

An instanced group, such as an inserted block from AutoCAD or cell from MicroStation. If in the imported file the instance was unnamed, JetStream names the instance to match its child's name.

An item of geometry, such as a polygon.

An instanced item of geometry, such as an instance from 3D Studio.

A composite object. A single CAD object that is represented in JetStream by a group of geometry items.

A search. Behind the scenes, JetStream is searching the model for all items with a property of this type and sets up the find specification to repeat this search if the selection set is saved. See for more information on this.

Each of these item types can be Hidden (gray), Unhidden (dark blue) or Required (red).

Note

If a group is selected as Hidden or Required then all instances of that item will be hidden or required. If you wish to operate on a single occurrence of an item then you should make the instanced group (the level above, or the "parent", in the hierarchy) Hidden or Required.

You can use the selection tree in combination with the main navigation window to select items into the current selection, which is highlighted in both the selection tree and the main navigation window.

Note

Using the Shift and Control keys while selecting items in a selection tree will do the standard Windows multiple selection: Control allows multiple selection item by item and Shift allows multiple selection between the first and last items selected.

If you have the Clash Detective plugin, the selection trees will be used for selecting items for the clash tests.

The selection trees are also used inside the Find Items control bar for the ability to refine your searches better. See for more information.

Note

Additional customised selection tree tabs can be added by using the JetStream API.

Interactive Selection

JetStream provides several methods to interactively select items into the current selection. You can use the tabs in the selection tree, select items in the main navigation window with select and select box modes and you can select other items with similar properties to an existing selection using the selection commands

Note

Right clicking on any item in the tree view or main view temporarily selects the item click on and displays a context menu. You can click on the topmost menu item to permanently select the item.

Select Mode

As standard, this mode is mutually exclusive to the navigation modes so that when you are selecting, you cannot navigate and vice versa.

Note

When using a SpaceBall in conjunction with the standard mouse control, the SpaceBall can be configured for navigation and the mouse for selecting. See for more information.

Select mode allows you to click on an item in the main navigation window to select it. Once a single item is selected, its properties will be shown in the Properties control bar.

You can select multiple items in the main navigation window using the familiar Windows methods of holding down the Control key while selecting items. This will add them to the current selection. Alternatively, if the items are already in the current selection, holding down Control while selecting them again will remove them from the current selection.

Holding the Shift key whilst selecting items in the main navigation window will cycle through the selection resolution, allowing you to get more specific with your selections. See Selection Resolution for more information on this.

To select an item

Go to Viewpoint, Navigation Mode, Select

Click Select on the Navigation Mode toolbar.

Select Box Mode

This mode, which can be used in conjunction with the normal select mode allows you to drag a box in the main navigation window to select multiple items at once. This mode is also mutually exclusive to the navigation modes so that when you are selecting, you cannot navigate and vice versa.

Dragging the box will select all items within the box. Holding down the Shift key while dragging the box will select all items within and that intersect the box.

To select multiple items using a draggable box

Go to Viewpoint, Navigation Mode, Select Box

Click Select Box on the Navigation Mode toolbar.

Selection Commands

Selection commands enable you to quickly alter the current selection using logic. You can select multiple items based on the currently selected items' properties, or quickly invert the set, select everything or nothing.

Selecting items with selection commands

Go to Edit, Select
Choose the required selection command.

Standard selections are:

Select All

All items contained within the model are selected.
Select None

Deselects everything in the model.
Select Invert

Every selected item becomes deselected and vice versa.
Selection Sets

Provides you with options to save and recall sets. See
Select Multiple Instances

Selecting an item then selecting Multiple Instances will select all >instances (sometimes called insertions) of that geometry group that occur in the model.
Select Same Name

Every item with the same >name as the selected item will also be selected.
Select Same Type

Every item of the same >type as the selected item will also be selected.
Select Same (property)

Every item with the same property as the selected item will also be selected. The property can be anything from Material Hyperlink or any other searchable property attached to the item.

Note
Selecting Same (property) works by comparing items' properties. If you have multiple items selected when you perform a selection command of same name or type etc., all the types, names and properties of the items in the current selection are compared with all items properties in the scene. Those matching any of the current items selected will be selected.

Selection and Search Sets

Selection sets are useful for saving a group of items that you might want to regularly perform some action on, such as hiding or changing transparency. They simply store a group of items for later retrieval. There is no intelligence behind this set - if the model changes at all, the same items will be selected (assuming they are still available in the model) when recalling the selection set.

Search sets work in a similar way, except that they save search criteria instead of the results of a selection, so that you can re-run the search at a later date as and when the model changes. See for information on searching the model for items.

Selection and search sets can be named and contain comments. They can also be highlighted with icons in the main navigation window, so that when you click on one, the selection set is restored to the active set and all the items within it are re-selected.

Saving Selection and Search Sets

Saving a selection set

Select all the items you want saving.
- Go to Edit, Select, Selection Sets, Save Current Selection
or
- Right click on the Selection Sets control bar and choose Save Current Selection

Saving a search

Set up a search as explained in
- Go to Edit, Select, Selection Sets, Save Current Search
or
- Right click on a blank space on the Selection Sets control bar and choose Save Current Search

New selection sets and search sets are named "Selection SetX" where 'X' is the next available number added to the list. A selection set is identified by this icon: and a search set by this icon:

Note

Saved selection and search sets can be renamed by slow clicking (clicking and pausing without moving the mouse) on the set, or clicking on it and hitting F2

Recalling Selection and Search Sets

To re-select items from a selection set

Go to Edit, Select, Selection Sets and choose the saved selection or search set from the list.

In the Selection Sets control bar, simply click on the selection or search set from the list.

Note

On recalling a selection set, all the items that were selected when the set was saved are re-selected into the current selection.

On recalling a search set, the search that was saved into the set is re-run and any items matching the specification are selected into the current selection.

Managing Selection Sets

As well as a tab on the selection tree, there is also a control bar dedicated to selection sets. To activate it, click on in the Workspace toolbar or go to View, Control Bars, Selection Sets

This is the main management center for selection sets. All actions concerning selection sets are available by right clicking on this control bar.

Right clicking on a blank space in the Selection Sets control bar opens a context menu with the options to Save Current Selection or Save Current Search , as outlined in . This also gives access to the Add Folder and Sort options as detailed below.

Managing Selection Sets

Right click on a selection set.
Choose Add Folder to create a new folder above the selected item.
Choose Save Current Selection to save the current selection as a selection set in the list. This set will contain the currently selected items.
Choose Save Current Search to save the current search as a selection set to the list. This set will contain the current search criteria.
Choose Make Visible to make visible the items contained within the selected selection set.
Choose Add Comment to add a comment to the selection set. This command will display the comments text edit dialog. See for more information on comments.
Choose Edit Comment to edit a comment attached to the selected selection set. This command will display the comments text edit dialog. See for more information on comments.
Choose Add Copy to create a copy of the selection set to the list. The copy will be named the same as the selection set clicked on, but with a " - copy" suffix.
Choose Update to set the selected selection set to the currently selected items, or if it's a search set, it will update it with the current search.
Choose Delete to delete the selected selection set.
Choose Rename to rename the selected selection set.
Choose Sort to sort the contents of the Selection Sets window alphabetically.

Using Folders to Manage Selection Sets

Folders in the Selection Sets control bar work in a similar way to how they do in Microsoft Windows. They can be created by right clicking either on a blank space in the Selection Sets control, or on any visible item in the list and selecting Add Folder from the context menu. If the item selected is a folder, then the new folder will be created inside, otherwise it will be created in the root of the control above the selected item.

Items in the list can also be dragged and dropped into and out of folders, including folders themselves as well as their contents, simply by selecting the item, holding the left mouse button down, moving over to where the item should be placed, and letting go of the left mouse button. In this way it is possible to create a variety of nested folders containing any number of folders, selection and search sets.

Selection Resolution

Selection resolution affects what geometry you select when selecting items in the main navigation window using Select mode

When you click on an item in Select mode, JetStream doesn't know what level of item to start selecting at - do you mean the whole model, or the layer, or the instance, or group, or just the geometry? The selection resolution tells JetStream what level in the selection tree to start selecting items at by default.

The options are:

Model

Selects the whole model.
Layer

Selects all items on a layer.
First Object

Selects the first item in the selection tree path that isn't a layer.
Last Unique

Selects the most specific item (furthest along the selection tree path) that is unique (not multiply instanced).
Last Object

Selects the most specific item (furthest along the selection tree path) that is marked as a >composite object. If no composite object is found, the geometry is selected. This is the Default selection resolution setting.
Geometry

Selects the last item in the selection tree path (most specific, but may be multiply instanced).

If you find you have selected the wrong level of item, you can interactively "cycle" through the selection resolution, without having to go to the options dialog or the selection tree. You do this by holding down the Shift key when selecting an item. This selects an item one level more specific each time you select the item until the resolution gets to "geometry", at which point it will revert back to "model". The selection resolution remains as set in options for the next selection.

As well as being able to set the default selection resolution in the Selection options tab in Global Options , a quicker way is to right click on any item in the selection tree and choose the menu item Set Selection Resolution to X , where X is one of the above selection resolutions.

Selection Options

Use the Selection options to configure how you select items in the JetStream scene. You can set the level at which you select items (selection resolution), the distance from an item you have to be for it to be selected (useful for lines and points) and also the color in which selected items are displayed.

Setting selection options

Go to Tools, Global Options, Selection

The Selection dialog is displayed

To set the color that selected items are displayed in, click the Color button. The default highlight color is blue. Alternatively, check the None check box to disable selected item highlighting (items won't change color when selected).
Enter the radius, in pixels, that an item has to be within in order for it to be selected in the Radius box.
Choose the level of selection that you wish to use as the default selection resolution
Choose what level of detail you wish to see in the Compact selection tree. Models will restrict the tree to just displaying model files, Layers will restrict it down to the layer level and Objects will show a similar tree to the Standard tree, but without the levels of instancing inserted above an inserted block.
Click OK to set the options or Cancel to exit the dialog without setting them.