Selection
Select parts, shapes, control points, edges and faces by clicking or with a box; overlapping items, step-by-step Esc and temporary hiding.
In Atrium, you don't need a modifier key to select several items: each click adds an item to the selection, and clicking it again removes it. Ctrl and Shift are reserved for more specific tasks: picking control points, edges and faces, or only removing items from the selection. These rules are the same in the assembly editor, the 0D editor and sketches. The plan has a few differences, covered at the end of this page.
Select by clicking
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Select | Click an item to select the whole part or shape. |
| Add to the selection | Click other items; they're added to the selection. No modifier key needed. |
| Remove from the selection | Click a selected item again. |
| Remove only | Shift + click a selected item (point or part). Shift-clicking an unselected item or empty space changes nothing. |
| Select the whole part | Clicking a part that has some of its points selected selects the whole part. |
| Clear the selection | Click empty space or press Esc. The assembly design tree also collapses. |
A plain click on a free shape also selects the whole shape, just like a part, and opens its part picker on Face (see Library).
In sketches
In a sketch (the cross-section editor and the tool profile editor), selection is more fine-grained:
- Clicking a line selects just that segment.
- Double-clicking selects the entire connected shape.
- Holding Ctrl picks points, and the points appear larger.
Select with a box
A selection box always adds to the selection. The direction you drag determines what gets selected:
| Drag direction | What's selected |
|---|---|
| Left to right | Only items fully inside the box |
| Right to left | Anything the box touches |
- A plain box selects only parts and shapes, never points.
- Shift + box removes the parts and points inside the box from the selection.
Control points
Control points are the editable points of parts and shapes. To work with them, hold Ctrl; the points appear larger.
- When nothing is selected: The points of the part under the pointer show up too. Points inside a closed group don't; like a sub-assembly, a closed group acts as a single piece.
- When something is selected: Only the points of the selected items are shown and picked, whether you click or drag a box.
- Toggle a single point: Ctrl + click a point to add it to or remove it from the selection. Ctrl + click on the body of a part does nothing.
- When a part with points is selected, the bar at the top of the screen shows a "Ctrl Points" reminder.
Box-selecting points
When something is selected: Ctrl + box picks only the points of the selected items, meaning the circles you can see. Points of other shapes aren't picked, even if they sit exactly on top of them. If a hole, groove or pocket is selected, only its own points are picked.
When nothing is selected:
| Ctrl + box direction | Result |
|---|---|
| Left to right | Parts fully inside the box are selected whole; from the rest, only the points inside the box are picked. As you drag, those points take on the selection color. |
| Right to left | Every part the box touches is selected whole. |
Closed groups: A closed group acts as a single piece, like a sub-assembly. A right-to-left box selects the whole group; a left-to-right box selects it only if the whole group is inside the box. Points inside the group are never picked.
Note
A point that's anchored to another point is never picked by a box. Read about anchors in Assemblies and inputs.
Overlapping points
- The points of a selected item always come first and are picked without asking.
- If you Ctrl + click where several points of selected items sit exactly on top of each other, a "Which one did you mean?" list opens. Hover over a row to highlight that point (with a large circle) and its part; click to select it.
Overlapping parts
If two parts sit exactly on top of each other, clicking opens a small list next to the pointer: "Which one did you mean?"
- Hover over a name to highlight that part.
- Click a name to select it.
- Press Esc to close the list without selecting anything.
A hole placed on the seam where two boards meet asks the same question.
Edges and faces
To pick an edge or a face of a part or free shape, hold Ctrl + Shift. The edge or face under the pointer highlights, and clicking selects it or picks it for the next action: edges for profiles, faces for boards.
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| One edge or face | Ctrl + Shift + click |
| Several edges | Click the edges one after another; a 1D profile is placed only on those edges. |
| All edges around | Ctrl + Shift + double-click an edge |
| Edges with a box | Ctrl + Shift + box |
From the selected edges of a free shape, you can create a new line or delete just those edges; see Drawing tools.
Step-by-step Esc
Esc clears the selection one step at a time:
- First, points are deselected, and their parts stay selected.
- Then everything is deselected.
For a point on a process (hole, groove or pocket), the order is: point → the process itself → its part → nothing.
Temporary hiding
Every part, free shape and set in the design tree has an eye icon in front of it that works like a layer toggle.
- It only affects what you see: it isn't saved and isn't part of undo.
- It's different from the Hidden property.
- Hidden items don't provide snaps either.
To view just one item and set everything else aside, use Isolate.
Selecting in the plan
The plan has a few different rules. For example, dragging an item without selecting it first moves only that item, and Ctrl doesn't pick anything. All the rules are on the Plan page.