Acurate selection using zoom

Is there a way to demonstrate the procedure? I probably spent 10 minutes trying to use Aerial View, and posted my results as an animated gif previously. Perhaps you can refer back to the animated gif and tell me what I was doing incorrectly?

An animated gif? I can barely operate my digital camera! LoL

The procedure requires multiple picks via a window. It took me three windows (3-3-4 columns) to select all 10 columns. If you're not accustomed to popping in and out of the aerial view to get to where you need to be in your drawing it is easy to make a mistake. When I was running an nth Engine graphics card and their Birdseye software it was as natural as breathing. I readily admit I no longer use the .DSVIEWER command as I disliked the functionality that AutoDesk eventually removed. Leave it to AD to take a good thing and ruin it all in the name of stopping the competition.

Ok, assume that the base plates, holes, top plate, and columns are all on their OWN LAYER. What method would be used (as applicable to this topic) to select all the I-beams to adjust their position on the baseplate?

I can make that selection in three clicks.

As per the quote included in your last message, can you describe the method?

An animated gif? I can barely operate my digital camera! LoL

 

The procedure requires multiple picks via a window. It took me three windows (3-3-4 columns) to select all 10 columns. If you're not accustomed to popping in and out of the aerial view to get to where you need to be in your drawing it is easy to make a mistake. When I was running an nth Engine graphics card and their Birdseye software it was as natural as breathing. I readily admit I no longer use the .DSVIEWER command as I disliked the functionality that AutoDesk eventually removed. Leave it to AD to take a good thing and ruin it all in the name of stopping the competition.

I may try to play around with Aerial view some more. I can't reliably get more than two columns at a time on my laptop, but may be able to get as many as 4 on my 26" monitor, so that would still be 3 selection windows just using regular transparent zoom/pan

Select a column, right click, select similar.

Select a column, right click, select similar.

Ok, I guess it's my own fault for allowing you get me to specify that each type of object is on it's own layer. So yeah, that definitely is almost certainly the most efficient method in the overly simple sample drawing. In practice, I don't think it's reasonable to assume the objects trying to be selected are the only objects of that type on that particular layer.

In the future, I'll specify that the solution/method should be one that's likely to yield the intended results in more general terms, not just in one specific and overly simple drawing.

Here are two ways, both depend on the complexity of the drawing on whether they will work for you.

Set the drawing in a right side view, then with 3dorbit rotate the objects just a little so you can see all of them, select the columns.

As mentioned earlier, draw a rectangle first and osnap to that for the selection window. The strange thing is even though the rectangle is drawn to just go around the columns, the baseplate is also selected. I had to draw the rectangle actually inside the column to get this to work. Another AutoCAD limitation I guess?

In this exact example, however, I would erase all but one, make the changes, then array again.

I've rotated the view in a 3D model before, but don't think I've ever considered it for a 2D drawing. Still some limitations as you mentioned, but pretty clever also.

I just remembered an inconsistency and was wondering if someone else could test

As per the OP's question (and the AutoCAD Knowledge Base Article), When using a Crossing or Selection window, objects that are zoomed/panned off screen are dropped from the selection set.

This also applies when using the SELECT command with Window, Fence, Box, and WPolygon options, however the objects seem to be retained when using the CPolygon option.

Can anyone else replicate this?

Confirmed! Great find, nestly!

Thanks, for confirming Rob. It would be ideal if SELECT > WPolygon also worked that way, and I'm not sure why it doesn't since the user is explicitly defining each vertex of the selection polygon? Odd?

And just when we thought all might be lost nestly comes through to save the day. Not to diminish the contribution by RobDraw by any means. Kudos to you both.

And just when we thought all might be lost

Are you referring to my sanity? LOL

Actually, SELECT > CPolygon still isn't any value in my example because it will also select all the Base and Top plates the CPoly crosses.

I wasn't referring to mine which was lost somewhere around the turn of the century! LoL

Are you referring to my sanity? LOL

 

Actually, SELECT > CPolygon still isn't any value in my example because it will also select all the Base and Top plates the CPoly crosses.

... but it does solve the OP's original example.

Oh, OK. I hadn't really imagined a scenario where there weren't any other objects between the objects the OP was trying to select, but if that's true, then yeah, SELECT > CPoly should do the trick

I just remembered an inconsistency and was wondering if someone else could test

 

As per the OP's question (and the AutoCAD Knowledge Base Article), When using a Crossing or Selection window, objects that are zoomed/panned off screen are dropped from the selection set.

 

This also applies when using the SELECT command with Window, Fence, Box, and WPolygon options, however the objects seem to be retained when using the CPolygon option.

 

Can anyone else replicate this?

Replicated to good effect.

Pickfirst =1, pickadd = 1, select as large as possible bunches of objects at a time, say 20 or so, zooming in as tight on each bunch without getting any of the current bunch off screen until you get them all. They do not expire having been rolled off screen while you go select more while not in a command, if pickfirst & pickadd = 1. Then execute the command. That's the way I have done it for a long as I can remember, mostly because it is faster than trying to get a solution to the problem, and much faster than reading this thread.

I did go back and read enough to pick up on the Cpolygon thing though. That is pretty neat.