With even relatively small structural models containing many nodes, beams, plates, loads, and other model objects, it is important that you be able to select the correct objects for assigning parameters. STAAD.Pro has a variety of tools to allow you to select objects by type, filter, boolean logic, and more.

In certain modes of selection, objects are chosen by clicking on their entry in a list. For selecting more than one object, press and hold <Ctrl> while clicking.

Selection Method

STAAD.Pro allows you to select one of several methods for graphical selection. These are described in the table below.

To choose a different the selection method, either:

• Select it from the Select ribbon tab in the Modes group, or
• right-click in the view window and select Selection Mode from the pop-up menu.

Selection Type	Description	Mouse Action	Resulting Selection Set	Shortcut
Drag box	A rectangular selection box activated by holding down the left mouse button and dragging the pointer to create a windowed area in the View window. Tip: This is sometimes referred to as a "rubber band" window.
Drag line	Click and hold down the left mouse button to draw a line. All entities which the line passes through will be selected.			<Crtl+Shift+F3>
Region	Click the outer points of any polygonal region. Close the polygon by double-clicking. All entities fully enclosed in the polygon are selected.			<Crtl+Shift+F2>