Selection Part 1: Free AutoCAD Tutorial

Topics Covered in This AutoCAD Tutorial:

Mastering Object Selection Techniques

Intro to Selection

Object selection forms the foundation of efficient AutoCAD workflow, yet many users only scratch the surface of its capabilities. While modify commands automatically prompt for object selection, you can also pre-select objects before invoking commands—a distinction that unlocks different selection options and visual feedback. Understanding when and how to leverage each approach will dramatically improve your drafting speed and precision.

The core selection methods remain consistent whether you're working within a command or in the general drawing environment: direct clicking for individual objects, click-and-drag box selection, or the more fluid lasso selection for irregular object groups. However, the visual feedback differs significantly. Objects selected during command execution display differently than those selected in the open workspace, providing clear context about your current workflow state.

Pro tip: If you accidentally initiate a selection box and want to cancel without completing the selection, simply press Escape. For users who find the lasso selection interferes with their workflow, you can disable it through the OPTIONS command—navigate to the Selection tab and uncheck Allow press and drag for Lasso.

• Selection by Clicking: Direct object selection requires precision—you must click directly on an object's geometry, specifically its edges or boundary lines. The exception is solid fills and hatch patterns, where clicking anywhere within the filled area will select the entire object. Multiple clicks build your selection set progressively, while holding Shift and clicking removes objects from the current selection. This additive/subtractive approach gives you surgical control over complex selections. Clear all selections instantly with Escape, or select everything in your drawing using CTRL–A.

• Crossing Selection: When you create a selection box or lasso by dragging left from your starting point, AutoCAD generates a green selection area. This crossing selection captures any object that the selection boundary touches or intersects, even partially. This method excels when working with dense drawings where objects overlap or when you need to quickly grab multiple elements in a congested area.

• Window Selection: Dragging right from your starting point creates a blue selection window. Unlike crossing selection, window selection only captures objects completely contained within the selection boundary. This precision method prevents accidental selection of adjacent objects and is ideal when working in detailed drawings where accuracy is paramount.

Modern AutoCAD versions display selected objects with a distinctive blue glow effect, providing clear visual feedback about your current selection set. If you're working on older hardware or have disabled hardware acceleration, selected objects appear as dashed lines instead. You can customize or disable the glow effect entirely using the SELECTIONEFFECT system variable—set it to zero for a cleaner display, particularly useful when working with complex drawings where the glow might obscure fine details.

When you select objects outside of any active command, AutoCAD displays grip points—small squares that appear at strategic locations like endpoints, midpoints, and centers. These grips transform into powerful editing tools, allowing direct manipulation without formal modify commands.

• Select Similar: This intelligent selection tool leverages AutoCAD's object properties to expand your selection set automatically. Right-click any selected object and choose Select Similar to instantly select all objects sharing the same type and layer properties. For block references, the selection extends to all instances of the same named block throughout your drawing. This feature proves invaluable when applying consistent changes across similar elements, such as updating all door symbols or modifying line weights for specific object types.

• Selecting When in a Command: Once you initiate a modify command, the command line displays the Select objects: prompt, indicating you've entered the object selection phase. You remain in this phase until pressing Enter to confirm your selection and proceed with the modification. While most modify commands accept pre-selected objects, some ignore prior selections entirely. Developing the habit of command-first, then select ensures consistent results across all AutoCAD operations. Note that advanced selection tools like Select Similar and Quick Select only function outside of active commands, so strategic pre-selection becomes crucial for complex editing scenarios. When in command selection mode, typing all and pressing Enter selects everything while maintaining the active command, unlike CTRL–A which terminates the current operation.