How to select objects by hovering over face

[oliver.williams]

Hello,

 

I recently upgraded to VW Spotlight 2023. When I go to select an object with normal selection tool, the object only highlights if my cursor is hovering over an edge. If I have my cursor anywhere on the face of the object it will not highlight the object for selection and instead highlight objects behind the one I want. This is very inconvenient as when hovering my cursor over an object I want to select it, not the objects behind. 

 

Is there a way to change from only edge selection to being able to select an object no matter where your cursor is on that object?

 

Many thanks in advance.

Oli

[michaelk]

Typically, if an object has no fill or a hatch fill and the hatch has no fill, then the object preselection highlight only happens on the edge.

 

But you should see objects with solid fills, gradient fills, image fills, etc highlight when you hover over any part of them.

 

 

[oliver.williams]

@michealk this is not the case. I am trying to select 3D solid objects so they have a fill. As you say I should be able to select it by hovering over any part of it. But instead it shows the edges of objects behind, and I can only select the solid 3D object if i hover my select cursor over an edge.

[oliver.williams]

1 hour ago, michaelk said:

Typically, if an object has no fill or a hatch fill and the hatch has no fill, then the object preselection highlight only happens on the edge.

 

But you should see objects with solid fills, gradient fills, image fills, etc highlight when you hover over any part of them.

 

 

@michealk this is not the case. I am trying to select 3D solid objects so they have a fill. As you say I should be able to select it by hovering over any part of it. But instead it shows the edges of objects behind, and I can only select the solid 3D object if i hover my select cursor over an edge

[zoomer]

1. Hovering ?

 

I need to left click to select something.

 

 

2. Which View Style ?

 

The only way I am not able to select a filled Solid by clicking

on a Face only, is when I switch to Wireframe Mode (?)

[oliver.williams]

15 hours ago, zoomer said:

1. Hovering ?

 

I need to left click to select something.

 

 

2. Which View Style ?

 

The only way I am not able to select a filled Solid by clicking

on a Face only, is when I switch to Wireframe Mode (?)

When hovering over solid objects, the highlight to select that object only works if I am on an edge of the object. If I hover over any other part the objects behind it highlight and I can only select them. 

 

This is in wireframe and shaded mode. I don't mind this for wireframe as you can only see the edges. But is frustrating that it still happens in shaded as I want to select the object I am hovering over not the ones behind.

 

I am thinking this might be a bug or individual error with my version as it is not working as meant. I have looked in shaded options and vectorworks preferences and can't seem to fix this problem.

 

[zoomer]

OK,

which kind of objects are we talking about ?

I just tested with Extrudes and Rectangles so far

 

Any special Spotlight type of objects ?

 

 

What I realized is that Meshes in VW always had a strange, non standard,

unwanted selection behavior.

And in newer VW versions, that Objects inside Container Objects like

Symbols, IFC Containers or Groups may often fail in Selection and

even more are invisible for Snapping.

(The deeper the nested hierarchy the worse)

 

[line-weight]

1 hour ago, oliver.williams said:

When hovering over solid objects, the highlight to select that object only works if I am on an edge of the object. If I hover over any other part the objects behind it highlight and I can only select them. 

 

What exactly do you mean by "highlight"? Do you mean that the cursor changes from an arrow with tail to an arrowhead without tail? Or something else?

[zoomer]

Just now, line-weight said:

What exactly do you mean by "highlight"?

 

I understand it as standard preselection Object Highlighting.

 

When you hover over an object in Selection Mode,

one Object will highlight to show which object will be chosen

when you will do the final selecting click.

 

As far as I tested, in Wireframe Mode, as long as you hover a Solid's Face

but none of its Edges, you cant select and it will not highlight.

If there would be another Object's edge behind your desired foreground

Object's (invisible) Face, it would highlight and select this instead.

 

But so far I could not see any selection issues in Shaded Mode.

At least so far with my simple tests.

[Benson Shaw]

Is vwx pref enabled for Occluded Selection and Snapping?

 

 

-B

[line-weight]

On 4/5/2023 at 10:09 AM, zoomer said:

 

I understand it as standard preselection Object Highlighting.

 

yes, I realised that I have (for some reason) "enable cursor pre-selection highlighting" turned off in my VW preferences, which is why I am not used to seeing it.

 

[zoomer]

Oh.

Why do you have all highlighting off.

Because it flickers when you hover over crowded geometry ?

 

I even have snap sound on 🙂

It klicks 2 times, one for the snap and again when the tentative

point appears.

Which is quite a multimedia show when hovering geometry.

[line-weight]

22 minutes ago, zoomer said:

Oh.

Why do you have all highlighting off.

Because it flickers when you hover over crowded geometry ?

 

I have no idea!

 

either as some kind of workaround due to some kind of problem some years in the past now forgotten ... or I just unticked those boxes accidentally at some point.