How can I set up "maya-style" box-selection?

Support Basics & Interface
1

Hello good people!

There is a lot of tools in Blender to select what you want. There are a lot of hotkeys to make it more efficient. My problem is that I do not like them that much and I have to work in Maya/3ds max often, so I would love to have unified hotkeys and controls for each program.

What I would like to be able to do is to select with a box by simply clicking on a background, holding the button and dragging across the screen. In other words, I would like to be able to select with a box exactly in the way I am doing it in other programs.

I am not an experienced Blender user, so talk to me like you would to a 5-year-olds :stuck_out_tongue:

I would be extremely glad for help :slight_smile:

2

Hit the B key for box select mode.

3

There is a lot of tools in Blender to select what you want. There are a lot of hotkeys to make it more efficient. My problem is that I do not like them that much and I have to work in Maya/3ds max often, so I would love to have unified hotkeys and controls for each program.

What I would like to be able to do is to select with a box by simply clicking on a background, holding the button and dragging across the screen. In other words, I would like to be able to select with a box exactly in the way I am doing it in other programs.

4

Add a shortcut to use LMB drag as select
See http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/56834/drag-select-with-mouse

Screen Shot 2017-03-12 at 18.46.56.jpg1942×928 180 KB

5

I’ve seen this page, but I can not set it up somehow. I do not see such option as Tweak. It looks completely different on my screen. Can you describe step by step what do I need to do?

6

You don’t need to create your own hotkey in order to select with the LMB.

Go to User Preferences > Input tab
In the lefthand column, look for Select With. You’ll see two buttons “Right” and “Left.” Click on Left, save preferences.

From now on, everything you did with the RMB will be done with the LMB (including B select) and vice versa.

7

Did you even read what I asked about? Let me repeat:

What I would like to be able to do is to select with a box by simply clicking on a background, holding the button and dragging across the screen. In other words, I would like to be able to select with a box exactly in the way I am doing it in other programs.

It is not the case I do not know how to press B, or where to change which mouse button is used for selection. I also know how to change hotkey from B to any other key, but it is also not the issue I am talking about. So please, I am glad you want to help, but try to read and understand my first post.

So far only Richard Marklew answer was connected to the topic, but I can not figure out how to make use out of it. I will try today evening again, maybe I am making some simple mistake.

1 Like
8

If you can’t follow the basic instructions in the previous link let me put it into details anyone should be able to follow

Open blender
In the File menu select User Preferences
In the User Preferences panel select the Input Tab
Expand the 3D View options
Expand the 3D View (Global) options
Scroll down to the end of this section
Press the ‘Add New’ button
Expand the new new input settings
Use the settings I showed you earlier
Press the ‘Save User Settings’ button so you don’t have to do this every time you open blender
Close the User Preferences window

That with give you Drag LMB to select and Drag LMB on an empty part of the viewport to unselect everything

9

Yeah, here’s my last bit of advice for you: buy Maya.

10

It works!

Thanks to Richard Marklew and my friend at work, together you helped me a lot.

There is one more thing you have to do to make it work. You need to deactivate Translate (Tweak/Select/Any), otherwise there is a conflict and only one functionality works.

I need to figure out one thing more and I will be happy blender newbie. How to deselect with box/border. Usually you would hold additional key, CTRL in case of Maya, and anything within the box what was selected will be deselected. There is expandable menu “Gesture Border” but I haven’t figure out how to make use out of it.

Any help will be well appreciated :slight_smile:

rontarrant, if you do not care and you do not want to help why are even wasting time on typing those posts? You missed the point, twice. You are making only a mess in the topic from which no one benefits.

1 Like
11

There is a lot of tools in Blender to select what you want. There are a lot of hotkeys to make it more efficient. My problem is that I do not like them that much and I have to work in Maya/3ds max often, so I would love to have unified hotkeys and controls for each program.What I would like to be able to do is to select with a box by simply clicking on a background, holding the button and dragging across the screen. In other words, I would like to be able to select with a box exactly in the way I am doing it in other programs.

12

There is one more thing you have to do to make it work. You need to deactivate Translate (Tweak/Select/Any), otherwise there is a conflict and only one functionality works.
You may see a conflict with positioning the 3d cursor (shortcut is LMB) so search for ‘cursor’ and change its shortcut to whatever you want it to be.

Read the other posts in this thread and they will tell you how to achieve that.
Or just stick with the applications you are most comfortable with, why change.

13

Here’s my setup, which is not quite what you want, but very similar:

Input > 3D View > 3D View Global:
LMB and drag > Border select (always additive)
Shift-LMB and drag > Lasso select (additive)
Ctrl-LMB and drag > Lasso select (subtractive)

This might give you a hint how to do your own setup.

14

Thanks to the constructive contributors of this thread.

As a new comer to Blender, I much prefer this universal (and far more efficient) select multiple object behavior.

Now I no longer need to hit hotkey B. Just drag select as much as I want.

Lasso select/ deselect using this (modifier key) + left press also makes sense.

I use the Lasso deselect (I use ALT Left-click Drag to mimic ZBrush) to deselect Box selection.

At some point I will set this selection behavior for all Editors.

I’m no longer sea sick inside the 3D viewport.

Thanks again guys!

15

Hi Michel, could make available how it worked for you? I tried Marks suggestions but it does not work. I just want to select like in Maya and deselect all (in Object mode as well as in Edit Mode) clicking anywhere in the 3d view.
You would be so kind to reveal how you have solved it.