Filtering your selection based on the position of the object

The selection tools allow you to choose from which objects to select, based on their positions in the viewport. The Selection toolbar contains all of the selection tools.

Related Topics
Using the selection options

The following position-based selection tools are available only after you start a procedure that requires object selection (position-based selection is not available outside of a procedure):

Objects closest to the screen

Toggle on this tool to select only the objects closest to the front of the screen. This tool is toggled on by default.

If you toggle off this tool, Abaqus/CAE allows you to cycle through all of the possible selections. Use the Next and Previous buttons in the prompt area to cycle forward and backward through all of the objects in the viewport that are possible selections; each object becomes highlighted in turn. For more information, see Cycling through valid selections.

This filter applies to native vertices, edges, faces, and cells and to orphan nodes and orphan elements.

Interior and exterior objects

Choose one of the following filters:

  • Select objects located both outside and inside a part.

  • Select only objects located on the outside of a part. In most cases this tool is selected by default.

  • Select only objects located on the inside of a part.