How Do I Filter a Selection in AutoCAD?
AutoCAD provides powerful tools for efficiently working with selections. One such tool is the selection filter, which allows you to narrow down your selection based on specific criteria. In this tutorial, we will explore how to use the selection filter in AutoCAD.
What is a Selection Filter?
A selection filter in AutoCAD allows you to select specific objects based on their properties. It helps you to isolate and work with only the objects that meet certain criteria, making your workflow more precise and efficient.
Using the Selection Filter
To use the selection filter in AutoCAD, follow these steps:
- Select the Filter icon: The filter icon can be found on the right side of the status bar at the bottom of the AutoCAD window. Click on it to open the selection filter menu.
- Select a Filter option: The selection filter menu provides various options such as All, None, Entity type, and more.
Choose an appropriate option based on your filtering requirements.
- Select additional Filters (optional): Depending on your chosen option, you may have further filtering options available. For example, if you selected “Entity type” in the previous step, you can now choose specific entity types like lines, circles, or text.
- Select objects: After applying the desired filters, click and drag to select objects within your drawing that match those filters.
- Edit or modify your selection (optional): Once you have made your initial selection using the filters, you can further refine it by using other selection tools like crossing or window selection, or by removing specific objects from your selection.
Additional Tips
Here are some additional tips to make the most out of the selection filter:
- Combine filters: You can combine multiple filters to narrow down your selection even further. For example, you can filter by both entity type and color to select only red circles.
- Save and load filter settings: AutoCAD allows you to save your filter settings for future use.
This can be handy if you often work with similar sets of criteria.
- Use keyboard shortcuts: AutoCAD provides keyboard shortcuts for quickly accessing the selection filter menu and its options. Refer to the AutoCAD documentation for a list of available shortcuts.
In Conclusion
The selection filter in AutoCAD is a powerful tool that allows you to efficiently work with specific objects based on their properties. By mastering this tool, you can save time and streamline your workflow. Remember to experiment with different filters and combinations to find the best approach for your projects.
Happy filtering!