Selecting objects before choosing a procedure

You can use the Selection toolbar to toggle selection and to limit viewport selections based on the type of object. The Selection tool is the first tool in the toolbar; it is available only when there are no active procedures running in a viewport. By default, selection is active and viewport object types are not limited. You can select multiple objects using any of the methods described in Combining selection techniques. Toggle off object selection to prevent selecting objects when you are not in a procedure.

When you select a procedure after selecting objects from the viewport, Abaqus/CAE applies the selection filters for the procedure. For example, if you selected a vertex, a face, and an edge, then started a procedure that can accept only vertices, Abaqus/CAE accepts the selected vertex, cancels the selection of the face and edge, and begins the procedure with the second step. Similarly, if you select a procedure that requires a single object selection and you have already selected multiple valid objects, Abaqus/CAE accepts the first valid selection and cancels the remaining selections. If Abaqus/CAE cannot determine which object you selected first, it will cancel all selections and begin the procedure at the first step.

If a procedure includes multiple selection steps, objects that you select before the procedure can be used only to complete the first selection step. Any subsequent selection steps require you to select new objects interactively from the viewport or, if applicable, use saved selection groups. You cannot save selections made prior to the start of a procedure.