The
Select Shortest Edge Path Tool in the
Modeling
menu set (F2) lets you easily select a path of edges between two vertices on a surface mesh. It determines the most direct path between any two selection points and selects the polygon edges in between.
The
Select Shortest Edge Path Tool is particularly well suited to selecting a long and possibly winding path of edges on a surface mesh when you need to subsequently perform a Cut UV Edges operation when Unfolding UV shells.
To select a path of edges between two vertices
- In the scene view, select the surface mesh whose edges you wish to select.
- From the
Modeling
menu set (F2), choose
Select > Shortest Edge Path Tool.
The selected surface mesh updates to display the vertices on the mesh.
- To select a path of edges on the mesh, click a vertex to specify the start of the edge path, then click a second vertex to specify the end of the path.
The edges that form the most direct path between the two vertices are selected. That is, the path may follow a diagonal stair-step path but the selection follows the most direct route.
Note: You can click several vertices in turn and the selection will follow the most direct path through the vertices you’ve indicated.
- If you want to undo the last selection press Ctrl + z. If you want to cancel the existing selection and start again click anywhere off the mesh. Press y if you want to keep the existing selection and begin a new one. Press q to quit the tool and proceed to your next operation. For example, you may want to cut the UV edges associated with the selected path of edges using the
Cut UV Edges feature (UV > Cut UV Edges).