Losing selected objects when zooming/panning etc

[TxArcht81]

After selecting objects to stretch, extend, move, erase, etc., I sometimes zoom in or pan using the mouse wheel to see other areas while transparently holding the selection set. When I hit Enter to complete the command, some objects will not execute due to them not being in the visible field of view.

Is this normal or is it due to a video card or computer shortcoming? Settings?

[ReMark]

Does this happen in just one drawing or in any drawing you are working on?

 

FYI - Please do not double post as it just causes confusion. Thank you.

[TxArcht81]

Usually in any drawing. I'm doing only 2D work. Example: I have a bunch of lines to extend to another line. Command Extend, click select boundary edge, wheel zoom out wheel pan over, type in Fence, click start point, wheel pan over (fence starting point has now panned out of view) click next Fence point, wheel pan over some more, click next Fence point, then right click to enter and complete Extend command. Result: the lines that I fenced over on the first fence line that have panned out of view do not extend to the boundary line; only the last visible lines that the fence cuts through will have extended to the boundary.

This happens when I'm drawing a building elevation that has lots of siding, or a floor plan that has a large grid that I need to extend to boundaries out of view.

 

(sorry for the cross post)

[ReMark]

As far as I am able to determine you should be able to do what you have described. Sounds like a system variable might have been changed.

[Dana W]

Make sure the system variables pickfirst, and pickadd are set to 1.

 

Now, do your selections BEFORE executing any command, panning and zooming at will. Once you have all your selections made, then type a command.

 

For some reason AutoCad has been prone to forgetting the things selected, but this is only DURING a command. I have never once had anything drop off, IF I do the selecting before executing a command.

 

Warning. There is a toggle button at the top of the properties dialog panel for pickadd.. People have been known to poke at it wondering what it is. If pickadd is set to zero(off), you must hold down the shift key to click more selections, in other words you cannot ADD any more PICKS.

 

If pickfirst is set to zero(off), you cannot make a selection before executing a command.

[TroyB]

I also get the same problem and would love to have an answer as well.

[rkent]

That is how AutoCAD works, always has. I have 2002 loaded and it does it there also.

[nestly]

I also get the same problem and would love to have an answer as well.

 

Agree with rkent, objects that are zoomed completely off screen before the Selection window is complete will not be included in the selection set.... I've tested all the way back to AutoCADLT98.

 

From the AutoCAD knowledge base --> Objects are lost from the Selection Set

 

The only way I know to get around it is to use the SELECT command with the CP (Crossing Polygon) option.

[Dana W]

As long a you do the select FIRST, before initiating a command, you, at least I, don't lose the items. The system variable, pickfirst and pickadd must be set to 1 for this to work though.

 

As long as we're fixing things, why in the heck is my leyboard double and tripple typing vowels?

[nestly]

Correct. Objects that are actually selected will remain selected. It's when objects are "windowed" but not actually selected that they're lost from the selection set. In other words, regardless of where it's started, a selection window ends at the edge of the screen.

[Dana W]

Correct. Objects that are actually selected will remain selected. It's when objects are "windowed" but not actually selected that they're lost from the selection set. In other words, regardless of where it's started, a selection window ends at the edge of the screen.

That's correct, only the objects visible on screen and in the window will be selected.

It's like you can't click anything off screen either.

 

However, while a command is active, already selected objects will fall off the selection set, if they are panned, or zoomed off screen. this has been an issue for many years. I just learned early on to make use of being able to select zillions of objects, pan them off screen and then select a bunch more, all over the place, as long as I do it with no command active. pickfirst = 1 is your friend.

[nestly]

 

However, while a command is active, already selected objects will fall off the selection set, if they are panned, or zoomed off screen. this has been an issue for many years. I just learned early on to make use of being able to select zillions of objects, pan them off screen and then select a bunch more, all over the place, as long as I do it with no command active. pickfirst = 1 is your friend.

 

Oh OK, I've never experienced the problem of losing already selected objects, but then again I also always have PICKFIRST = 1 and typically do select objects before starting a command.

 

Oh

[Dana W]

Oh OK, I've never experienced the problem of losing already selected objects, but then again I also always have PICKFIRST = 1 and typically do select objects before starting a command.

 

Oh

No surrender required. I seemed to detect that you may have missed that active command part of the issue, and was reiterating.

 

Yeah, I have been using pickfirst since day one, so when a co-worker was losing selected objects off screen several years ago it took several days and two forums to figure out how it was happening, because I had not experienced it either. AutoDesk doesn't seem to care to "fix" the behavior.

 

It appears that the program code builds the selection set two different ways, depending on whether a command is active or not. Maybe the active command coding uses display coordinates for the objects, and the pure select uses drawing coordinates. >.

[TxArcht81]

thank you all!

[TxArcht81]

Hey, sounds good to me~!!

[Marnissim]

I still have a problem with selection and zooming/panning.

 

I have set pickfirst/pickadd to 1, HPMAXAREA to 0.

 

When I pick the first corner of the selection window and then zoom or pan so that a portion of the selection is off screen, and then pick the second corner of the selection window, the part of the selection set which is off the screen drops off. This happens regardless of whether I select first or initiate a command.

 

This is a little frustrating because sometimes I need to zoom into a drawing for a precise selection point.

 

Any further suggestions would be appreciated.

[RobDraw]

As already stated in this thread, "That is the way it works."

 

Solution:

Choose another strategy for making your selection.

[tombu]

AutoCAD has a bit of idiotproofing built in to prevent us from deleting or modifying objects not visible on the screen. While I never make mistakes (Ha Ha) without this there are a lot of CAD folk out there who would destroy more drawings than they produce. If this forces us to make a few extra clicks every once in a while it's something I can live with.

[Marnissim]

OK thanks for your replies. At least I know now that there is no solution lurking around the corner that I am not aware of.

[RobDraw]

There are quite a few solutions. That is why we have multiple ways of making selections. (FYI, a new one was added for 2015.)