Surface Select Modifier

The Surface Select modifier (formerly known as NSurf Sel) lets you place a NURBS sub-object selection on the modifier stack. This lets you modify only the selected sub-objects. Also, selected curve sub-objects are shape objects that you can use as paths and motion trajectories.

• Select a NURBS curve or surface object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Surface Select
• Standard menu: Select a NURBS curve or surface object. > Modifiers menu > NURBS Editing > Surface Select
• Enhanced menu: Select a NURBS curve or surface object. > Modifiers menu > NURBS > Surface Select

If a NURBS surface object is nonrelational, Surface Select can't select the sub-object levels Curve, Curve CV, or Point. NURBS surfaces are nonrelational by default. You can make the surface relational by turning on Relational Stack on the object's General rollout.

Surface Select can select any kind of NURBS sub-objects except imports. Each sub-object selection is of one particular sub-object level only.

Note: The Surface Select modifier doesn't support copying and pasting selections as Mesh Select does. Copying and pasting mesh selections is based on vertex indexes. NURBS selections are based on object IDs, which are unique to each model.

Procedures

To use the Surface Select modifier:

1. Select a NURBS object. Go to the Modify command panel, and apply Surface Select.

   This modifier has no controls at the top level.

   
2. In the stack display, choose a sub-object level from the list.
   

   Surface Select has the same selection controls you see for NURBS surfaces, except that selecting connected curves or surfaces is not available.

   For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack.

   While applying the modifier, you can also select NURBS sub-objects by name. Turn on the Keyboard Shortcut Override toggle and then press the H key. This displays a version of the Selection Floater that lists only sub-objects at the current level. Choose one or more objects in the list, and then click Select.

3. Use the selection controls to create a selection set of the chosen sub-object type.

   With Surface Select, the selection can be of surface CV or surface sub-objects. If you turn on Relational Stack for the NURBS object, you can also select point, curve, and curve CV sub-objects.

4. At the Surface CV sub-object level, adjust Soft Selection controls as you wish. These controls are the same as those in the Soft Selection rollout for NURBS curves and surfaces, except that the Same Type Only toggle is absent.

Once you've used the modifier to create the selection, you can apply other modifiers to it.