Paint Selection Region

Main toolbar > Paint Selection Region (Selection Region flyout)

The Paint Selection method lets you select multiple objects or sub-objects by dragging the mouse over them. To change the brush size, right-click the Paint Selection Region button, and then, on the Preference Settings dialog > General tab > Scene Selection group, change the Paint Selection Brush Size value.

If you hold down Ctrl while specifying a region, the affected objects are added to the current selection. Conversely, if you hold down Alt while specifying a region, the affected objects are removed from the current selection.

Tip: You can also create custom tools for changing the brush size; choose Customize menu > Customize User Interface and set keyboard shortcuts or other user interface items for the actions Paint Selection Size Up and Paint Selection Size Down.

Note: Paint Selection Region respects the Window/Crossing selection toggle setting. If the toggle is set to Select Region Window and the brush is smaller than an object or sub-object to be selected, you won't be able to select the item. To resolve this, enlarge the brush or choose Select Region Crossing.

Note: With editable poly and Edit Poly objects, you can also paint soft selections and deformation.

The Paint Selection Region button, available from the Selection Region flyout, provides one of five methods you can use to select objects by region. The other methods are Rectangular, Circular, Lasso, and Fence.

Procedure

To select by painting a region:

Choose Paint Selection Region from the flyout.
Drag over the object(s) to select, then release the mouse button. As you drag, a circle showing the brush radius appears attached to the mouse.

Note: To cancel the selection, right-click before you release the mouse.
To change the brush size, right-click the Paint Selection Region button, and then, on the Preference Settings dialog > General tab > Scene Selection group, change the Paint Selection Brush Size value.

You can also set keyboard shortcuts for changing the brush size. To do so, use the Paint Selection Size Up and Paint Selection Size Down action items. See Keyboard Panel.