Changing the interactive selection method in ArcScene

Available with 3D Analyst license.

When you are preparing to make a selection in ArcScene, you can specify whether you want to select a new set of features or modify an existing set of selected features. You can adjust the interactive selection method from the Selection menu by choosing the desired option.

You can choose from the following:

• Create New Selection
• Add to Current Selection
• Remove From Current Selection
• Select From Current Selection

The default method is Create New Selection. When you click or drag a box to select features, you clear any existing selection and select only those features you clicked or dragged a box around.

Add to Current Selection keeps any existing selection and also selects the ones you click or drag a box around.

You must have some features already selected to use the other two methods, since they do not create new selections. Remove From Current Selection deselects the features you click or drag a box around but keeps any other features selected. Select From Current Selection keeps selected only the features you click or drag a box around and deselects the rest. If you find that you have selectable layers but are unable to select any features with the Select Features tool, check whether either of these is set as the interactive selection method.

Before you begin to select features, you should set the list of selectable layers. You can set and manage the list of selectable layers in the table of contents List by Selection view.

Follow the steps below to change the interactive selection method.

1. Click the Selection menu and point to Interactive Selection Method.
2. Click the selection method you want to use from the menu of four methods that appears.

Changing the interactive selection method determines whether features are selected or deselected when you click or drag a box around them.
3. Use any of the Select Features tools on the Tools toolbar and make your selection.

Tip:

• The Edit Placement tool on the 3D Editor toolbar, which selects features just like the default selection tool Select By Screen Rectangle, will also follow the interactive selection methods whether you change them manually, as described here, or use the keyboard shortcuts. If you are selecting vertices to modify in an edit session, the Edit Vertices tool will also follow the interactive selection methods.
• You can also achieve this by applying keyboard shortcuts while maintaining the current selection tool. For more information, see Keyboard shortcuts in ArcGlobe and ArcScene.