AutoCAD – Quick Select
When querying an AutoCAD drawing having the ability to quickly select only the geometry that is pertinent to the query can be very useful. So how can we do this without much fuss in AutoCAD.
Quick Select allows you to quickly select certain objects through their properties and then use the Properties Manager to exact change on those selected objects.
Starting from the top of the dialog box you are able to query the whole drawing or a pre-existing selection set. The next drop down you have is all the objects you have currently sitting in the drawing for example lines, polyline or circle.
Once you have selected your object type you will have the option to select a property specific to the object type that you have selected. For example, if you have selected a circle, it will present you with the radius and diameter property. This is not available to you when you select a line because a lines’ properties do not incorporate radius and diameter.
Next, as you go down the dialog box you will find the Operator. This allows you to pick your equality and relational operators. (equals, greater than or less than).
Next, we choose the value that the property equates to. So, for instance, we can set the radius property to be less than 5 units or set that the colour of the objects being selected is green.
Include in new selection set will select the objects with the properties that you specified.
Exclude from new selection set will select the objects that do not have the properties that you specified.
You are able to run more than one quick select filter. So if you chose to select all the circles with radius less than 5 units you are able to run quick select again and ask for all objects that are green.
By selecting append to current selection set it will add the green objects to the selection of circles that have a radius less than 5 units.
