How to select only vertices within a boxed region or ease selection of single vertices?

[bgoodr]

Code: Select all

$ dpkg --list freecad-daily\*
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name                  Version                              Architecture Description
+++-=====================-====================================-============-======================================================
ii  freecad-daily         0.19~pre2~202001221536~ubuntu19.10.1 all          Extensible Open Source CAx program
ii  freecad-daily-common  0.19~pre2~202001221536~ubuntu19.10.1 all          Extensible Open Source CAx program - common files
un  freecad-daily-doc     <none>                               <none>       (no description available)
un  freecad-daily-python2 <none>                               <none>       (no description available)
ii  freecad-daily-python3 0.19~pre2~202001221536~ubuntu19.10.1 amd64        Extensible Open Source CAx program - Python 3 binaries
un  freecad-daily-runtime <none>                               <none>       (no description available)
$ 

I want to use Std MeasureDistance to select two points and get a Distance object shown for quick inspection.

I need to perform that operation frequently, so I need to ease the operation w.r.t. selecting of the two vertices involved. If not, then over time, I will suffer from RSI just trying to move my mouse cursor to be right on top of each vertex.

I am to select individual vertices for the Std MeasureDistance tool, but I need a general solution for use with any any tool in FreeCAD that needs a user-supplied vertex.

So, I searched the wiki and found Std BoxElementSelection. That page says:

Std BoxElementSelection allows you to select the vertices of the objects in the 3D view by dragging a box.

So I was hopeful, but then later I read:

Drag the box from left to right or right to left to only select the objects touching or crossing the border of the box.

That implies that it will not select vertices at all, only faces or entire objects (e.g., Body objects). Or is that wiki page giving conflicting information?

And I can't get it to work for selecting sets of vertices, only faces, no matter which direction in which I drag the selection box. E.g., The entire face:



Or just the upper left vertex (w.r.t. from the current viewport):



I thought there was some Preferences setting dealing with vertex selection dealing with how sensitive the "selection circle" is (my wording, dunno what the correct terminology is here) for selection of objects, but I couldn't find such a thing.

Is there a box selection feature that allows me to select only the vertices, and will it work with the Std MeasureDistance tool? Or, am I simply barking up the wrong tree here, and should use some other tool?

Thanks to everyone for such a great tool!!

[bejant]

Or, am I simply barking up the wrong tree here,

My guess is that there aren't really any Endpoints in the regions you're trying to Box Select, but there are Edges and Faces?

[chrisb]

To my knowledge there is no such tool, you have to select the vertices manually. That having said, I don't see the whole picture; what do you finally want to achieve? If it's documenting dimensions for someone else you may be better off using TechDraw workbench.

[bgoodr]

My guess is that there aren't really any Endpoints in the regions you're trying to Box Select, but there are Edges and Faces?

Not sure what an "Endpoint" is here. I'm going off what is stated in the wiki:

So, I searched the wiki and found Std BoxElementSelection. That page says:

Std BoxElementSelection allows you to select the vertices of the objects in the 3D view by dragging a box.

Refer to the phrase: "vertices of the objects". it did not refer to "endpoints". The wiki page did not qualify what "objects" meant, but I have to assume that Pad objects created by the Part Design workbench are not excluded. Thus, I was left to conclude that any object in the 3D view can have its vertices selected using Std BoxElementSelection.

[bgoodr]

To my knowledge there is no such tool, you have to select the vertices manually.

Got it. And that was the answer I was looking for, as a pre-FR needs to be filed accordingly if it is agreed that should be a viable general improvement (see below for what I'm after).

That having said, I don't see the whole picture; what do you finally want to achieve?

I was a bit too vague here:

I want to use Measure Distance to select two points and get a Distance object shown for quick inspection.

So, I gave this some more thought. Here's what I think I would like (sounds like this isn't implemented yet, so I will file a pre-FR if this seems worthwhile):

I need Measure Distance to work symbiotically with Std BoxElementSelection so that I could select two edges, without RSI-effects (see below), using the box and then click Measure Distance button. That would eliminate the RSI-producing surgical selection of small points on the screen (vertices in the 3D view).

Specifically, the way I would like this to work is this: I would select both vertices to be measured using a "lasso" or "box selection" (which I thought Std BoxElementSelection was given the reference to "vertices" there), and then click the Measure Distance tool. Measure Distance tool would sense that there are two vertices in the selection, and use them, and not prompt the user to select each one individually. That improves what we have now which is this: I have to select each vertex, one by one, which is painful when each vertex requires minute movements of the mouse to position the mouse pointer right onto the vertex until it changes color to light green. In this case, sometimes even clicking the mouse button causes the mouse to move by a fraction, and misses the intended vertex completely. Then I have to keep retrying, when what I really want is a lasso or box selection.

By "lasso" or "box selection", it could be done with similar effects as Inkscape's Node Rubberband selection feature, but in this context applied to the 3D view and specifically selecting one or more vertices.

If that has not been implemented already, and if it is agreed it is a good idea, then I'll file a corresponding pre-FR requesting the above improvement.

[bejant]

Specifically, the way I would like this to work is this: I would select both vertices to be measured using a "lasso" or "box selection" (which I thought Std BoxElementSelection was given the reference to "vertices" there), and then click the Measure Distance tool. Measure Distance tool would sense that there are two vertices in the selection, and use them, and not prompt the user to select each one individually.

Maybe you could take this a step further and also allow the user to select an entire Edge using Box Selection, before clicking the Measure Distance tool?

[chrisb]

Good idea from bejant. Different box selection modes may be necessary then. How should they be chosen?

For now you can ease selection of vertices by increasing Preferences->Display->Colors(yes!)->Pick radius.

[bejant]

Different box selection modes may be necessary then. How should they be chosen?

Do you mean how to decide which selection modes would be best to create or do you mean how does the user choose which selection mode?

I think that if a lasso (a closed free-form polyline shape) mode was implemented, that along with left-to-right Box Selection mode would give the user adequate flexibility to select vertices and edges. Holding down the Ctrl key when making either a Box Selection or a free-form selection would add geometry to the current selection.

I regularly use Box Selection in Sketcher in the course of applying Coincident Constraints, and a free-form lasso type selection would be nice to have there too.

[chrisb]

Do you mean how to decide which selection modes would be best to create or do you mean how does the user choose which selection mode?

I meant indeed how the user chooses the selection mode.

[bgoodr]

For now you can ease selection of vertices by increasing Preferences->Display->Colors(yes!)->Pick radius.

Thank you! that will help me out greatly in the interim until the pre-FR can be settled upon and filed.

About the "(yes!)" above: I find the location in the preferences hierarchy puzzling. It has nothing to do with colors.