Group Selecting Objects


Reference Number: KB-00623
Last Modified: July 15, 2021

The information in this article applies to:

Chief Architect Premier or Chief Architect Interiors



QUESTION

How do I select a group of objects? Alternatively, I have selected a number of objects in my drawing and would like to de-select just one of these objects, while leaving the remainder of them selected. Is this possible?


ANSWER

You can select a group of items using simple keyboard commands, dragging a selection box around a set of items, or by using the Marquee Select Similar edit tool. When a number of items have been group-selected, a single item within the group can be de-selected by holding down the Ctrl/Command key on your keyboard and clicking on that item.


To shift select objects

  1. Open a plan in which you would like to group select objects.


  2. Click on the Select Objects tool and click on one of the cabinets to select it.


  3. When it is highlighted, hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and click on each of the remaining cabinets until all are selected.A marquee will display around the selected objects, and will expand to include each object added to the group.

    Hold down the shift key and select objects to add them to a group selection


To marquee-select objects

  1. Click on the Select Objects tool.


  2. Click and drag a selection marquee around the objects you would like to select.




  3. When you release the mouse button, the objects within the selection marquee will be selected as a group.

    You can limit a group-selection to a single type of object by selecting the tool used to create that object instead of the Select Objects tool, then drawing a selection marquee around the objects while holding down the Shift key on the keyboard. For example, to group-select wall cabinets only, select Build> Cabinet> Wall Cabinet from the menu, then hold down the Shift key and drag a selection marquee around an area in your plan. When you complete the marquee, only wall cabinets will be selected. This method works for most all objects apart from Full Height Cabinets. When Full Height cabinets are the selected tool, all cabinet types are selected when a selection marquee is drawn across the cabinets.


The Marquee Select Similar edit tool provides additional ways to group select objects of a particular type.


To use the Marquee Select Similar edit tool

  1. Click on the Select Objects tool.


  2. Click on an object to select it, such as a cabinet.


  3. Click the Marquee Select Similar  button on the edit toolbar.

    • Click the Select All Similar  button to automatically add all similar objects to the group selection, or;

    • With the Restrictive Selection  button active, draw a selection marquee across the plan to add similar objects within the selection marquee to the group selection.


To remove a single item from a group selection

  1. With all of the cabinets selected, hold down the Ctrl/Command key on your keyboard and click on one of the selected cabinets.


  2. This single cabinet will become deselected. It will no longer be highlighted, while the other cabinets remain selected and highlighted.