Object Selection

Everything you will draw on the drawing area (axis, column, wall, beam, line, circle etc.) are named as objects. For processes like erasing, moving, rotating and changing the properties of the objects, first the related objets should be selected. This process is named as Object Selection.

There are various methods in the program for object selection:

Selection by the left mouse button: Bring the mouse cursor on the object to be selected and left-click. The related object will be selected.

The snap distance of the cursor to the object during object selection can be set by entering value to the Snap Distance(Settings/Preferences) data box. The default value is 5 pixels. If the mouse cursor is within the range of the snap distance when clicked, the object is selected. As the value entered for snap distance increases, the objects can be selected from bigger distances. As the value decreases, it would be necessary to move the cursor closer to the object to be selected. When the cursor enters the range of the snap distance, the name of the object appears in the data box on the lower-left corner of the screen. If it is left-clicked at this stage, the object will be selected.

Window selection: Left-click an empty point on the drawing area. Drag the mouse. A frame will also move together with the mouse cursor. Take the objects to be selected into the frame and left-click again. The objects that remain completely in the frame will be selected.

Crossing selection: Left-click an empty point on the drawing area. Drag the mouse. A frame will also move together with the mouse cursor. Take into the frame or cross with the frame the objects to be selected. Hold down the Shift key from the keyboard and drag the mouse. Left-click again. All the objects that remain in the frame or crossed by the frame will be selected.

Select All: Click Edit/Select All or the Select All icon from the toolbar. Besides, the Select All command may be run by pressing Ctrl and A keys from the keyboard together. If you click the command alone, all the objects on the drawing area except those whose layer are closed or locked will be selected.

It is possible to select only the objects of the same kind in from many objects. To do this;

First click the related object drawing command (axis, wall, beam etc.) from the Draw menu or the toolbar.

Then click Edit/Select All. Only the objects clicked from the Draw menu (axis, wall, beam etc.) will be selected.

The color of the objects selected change. The default selected object color in the program is blue. The selected object color can be changed by the user. To do this;

Click Settings/Preferences.

Click on the color button next the “Selected” line from the Colors section in the appearing Preferences dialog.

Hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse on the appearing color palette. Leave mouse button free when you come on the color you want.

Click Ok and exit the dialog. The selected color will be appointed as selected object color.

If you click on an object to select it but it is not selected (its color does not change), there can be one reason for this. The layer of the object is locked. To unlock the layer;

Click Settings/Layer Settings or the Layer Settings icon from the toolbar.

Left-click on the lock symbol next the related object in the appearing Layer Settings dialog. The lock will be unlocked.

Click OK and exit the dialog. If you now click on the object, the object will be selected.

Object selection is useful in zoom operations as well. The Zoom Selection command is used together with the object selection.

Select the objects to be zoomed on the drawing area by the methods explained above.

Click View/Zoom Selection. The program will zoom on the selected objects.

To cancel the selection on the objects, the processes Window selection, Crossing selection, selection by left mouse click explained above are applied on the selected objects again. e.g. when it is left-clicked on a selected object, the object is deselected (the color of the object returns to its pattern and color).

As a reverse of the Select All command, there exist the Deselect All command in the program. The Deselect All command also works with the logic of the Select All command. To run the command click Edit/Deselect All or the Deselect All icon from the toolbar. It can be run by pressing the Ctrl and D keys together from the keyboard as well. If the command is clicked alone, all the selected objects in the related window will be deselected.

It is possible –to deselect only the objects of the same type in from many types of objects by the Deselect All command. To do this;

First, click the related object drawing command (axis, wall, beam, column etc.) from the Draw menu.

Then click Edit/Deselect All. The selected objects that their command has been clicked from the Draw menu (axis, column, beam, wall etc.) will be deselected.

In the passes between the Structural Mode and the Architectural Mode, the selected objects are deselected. i.e. the selected objects in one mode become deselected if you pass to the other mode. When it is returned back to the previous mode, it will be observed that the previously selected objects have become deselected.

The Structural Mode indicates the ceiling where the Architectural Mode indicates the floor of the active story. Objects like beam, static slab etc. are entered in the Structural Mode, where objects like wall, door-window, zone, footing etc. are entered in the Architectural Mode. Objects like axis, column etc. can be entered in both modes. Shortly, the objects placed at the story ceiling are entered in the Structural Mode and the objects placed at the story floor are entered in the Architectural Mode. Passing between modes is provided by clicking Tools/ Structural Design Mode or the Architectural Mode/ Structural Mode icon from the toolbar or by pressing the Tab key from the keyboard.

The program has the ability to remember selections. You can get selected entities into the memory and then select them with a single command any time you want. This procedure is possible with the Get Selection and Set Selection commands.

Select entities on the drawing area by the methods described above.

Click Edit/Selection Groups/Get Selection. The selected objects will be taken into the memory.

If you want to select the same group of entities in further steps of the project, click Edit/Selection Groups/Set Selection. The related entity group will be selected.

Selections taken in the memory by the Get Selection command can be described as short-term, temporary selections. This is because in every usage of the Get Selection command, the old selections are replaced by the new selections. However, it is also possible to define permanent selection groups, and keep these in the project. This feature is quite useful in big and complicated projects.

To define Selection Group;

Select the objects to be included in the selection group.

Click Edit/Selection Groups/Group List.

The Group Selection dialog will appear on the screen. Click the Make Group button here.

Enter a name for the group to be defined in the opened dialog line and click OK.

The previously selected entities on the drawing area will be included in the defined group and the group name will take place in the Current Groups list.

To select the objects in the defined selection groups at any step of the project;

Click Edit/Selection Groups/Group List.

Left-click the selection group that you want to select from the Current Groups list in the Group Selection dialog.

Click the Select button. All the entities included in the related group will be selected on the drawing area. You select more than one groups in this manner.

If you want to deselect a selected group, left-click on the related group name from the current groups list.

Then click the Deselect button. The entities in the related group will be deselected.

If you want to cancel any selection group; click the related group name from the current groups list and then click the Delete Group button. The related group will be deleted from the groups list.