Controlling the Selection Preview

The AutoCAD 2006 based products introduced a new feature called Selection Preview. This highlights objects as you move your cursor over them without actually selecting the object. Giving you, as the name implies, a preview of your potential selection. As with most new interface changes some people like it while others do not. In Civil 3D where you are working with many large objects it can get in the way and slow down your computer. This exercise will show you how to turn off Selection Preview.

Type OP at the command line to open the Options dialog box.
Select the Selection tab.

0017

Disable the When a command is active Selection Preview option.
Disable the When no command is active Selection Preview option.

If you choose to use the Selection Preview you can also click the Visual Effect Settings button to control the display of the preview.

017

You can then click the Advanced Options button to exclude certain object types from the preview.

Click <<OK>> to save your changes and exit the dialog box.

Author

Rick Ellis, president of CADapult Software Solutions, Inc, has worked with and taught Autodesk Civil 3D, along with Map 3D and other Autodesk products since the mid-90s. He is the Author of several critically acclaimed books on Autodesk Civil 3D, AutoCAD Map 3D, Land Desktop and Carlson Software; including the Practical Guide series.

Rick continues to use Autodesk Civil 3D on projects in a production environment, in addition to teaching classes to organizations both large and small around the country, helping them get the most out of their design software investment.

This practical background and approach has made him an award winning speaker at Autodesk University and a sought after instructor by organizations around the world.

Controlling the Selection Preview