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Selection Tools - User Manual

Introduction

Selection Tools is a plugin for Rhino 3D, designed to provide additional selection tools.

Plugin installation

Overview

The plugin installer can be downloaded at: https://www.tomkod.com/product/selection-tools/
A free trial is included, and yearly licenses can be purchased on the aforementioned page.
Selection Tools works for Rhino 61) and Rhino72).

Yak

Our plugins are also compatible with Yak, Rhino's new package manager 3), which is basically an application store for Rhino. You just need to call Rhino's command _PackageManager:

You can also install from the repository with the following command line:

"D:\Program Files\Rhino 6\System\Yak.exe" install 'PluginName'

If you add this in a batch file (*.bat) at windows startup, it is probably the best way to keep all your plugins up-to-date ;-)

License activation

Prerequisites

The free evaluation can be used once per computer, and requires network access to www.license.tomkod.com
The license activation requires network access to www.tomkod.com
Please check your firewall in case of failure.

Activation form

The activation window automatically shows up when the plugin is loading and a valid license or trial is not registered. If you want to see, change or remove your license while the plugin is already loaded, you can use the Rhino commands PluginName_License.
Activation status is always visible on the upper right corner of the form, if the icon is green your plugin will be enabled:

Trial Tab

This first tab is dedicated to the trial requests. Your trial status is displayed, and the button is disabled if a trial is not available for your computer (Your trial has already been activated, or the server is unreachable)

Commercial Tab

This tab's two main buttons let you Check-out (Activate) or Check-in (Desactivate) your license from our license server. When the checkbox “Enable floating licenses” is checked, every TomKod's plugin will try to deactivate the license automatically when closing (Making it available for another of your computers)

Finally, a license certificate (*.TkLic) can be selected at the bottom of this tab. It allows to activate a license offline, but the license won't be floating anymore. If you need one, contact us at https://www.tomkod.com/contact/

Toolbar

The toolbars for Rhino are always included in your plugins installation directory, or can be downloaded here.
You just have to drag/drop the file “Tomkod.rui” to a rhino window to install them.

Features and commands

SelectionTools_About

This command can be used only from the command line prompt. It displays the plugin's current revision and license status.


SelectionTools_License

This command can be used only from the command line prompt. It displays the plugin's activation form.

See license_activation.


SelectByType

Pick one or several object types in a list to select every object of those types. The list only contains the object types existing in the model.

Walkthrough

  1. Launch the command
  2. Select one or several object types
  3. Click OK to validate


SelectByVolume

Select extrusions or closed polysurfaces with the same volume, which is useful to find symmetrical parts or duplicates.

Walkthrough

  1. Launch the command
  2. Select a solid4)
  3. Enter the tolerance
  4. Every solid with the same volume in the model will be selected

The command does not look for volumes inside of blocks. However, it is possible to select a volume belonging to a block when picking the original solid.

Preselection

Preselection is allowed if one and only one solid5) is preselected.

Options

Tolerance

Optional tolerance


SelectDuplicatedSolids

Select every duplicated solid6). Every solid having at least X other solids with the same volume & area in the model will be selected.

Symmetrical parts will obviously be considered identical, having both the same areas and volumes.

Walkthrough

  1. Launch the command
  2. Enter the Minimum object duplicate count
  3. Enter the tolerance
  4. Duplicated solids will be selected

Options

Minimum object duplicate count

A minimum number can be set. For example, if set to 3, the selection will ignore duplicated items when there are only two of them.

Tolerance

Optional tolerance


SelectOneObjByName

Selects only one object per existing name in the whole model. Useful when readying the model before making detailed drawings.

Walkthrough

  1. Launch the command
  2. One object is selected for each name


SelectByBorderDetection

Tries to detect and select a room's walls. Useful for drawings with many short curves delimiting a ship's or building's rooms.

Walkthrough

  1. Start the command
  2. Hover the model: the result is previewed in real-time

Options

DetectionRange

Limits the detection range where the command will look for walls. Default value is 10007)

Mode

Two modes are available:

  • SelectExistingCurves is just a selection of existing objects
  • TryCreateClosedPolycurve will always returns a closed polyline. If needed line segments may be added.
1)
Rhino6.15 or later
2)
Tested up to Rhino 7.1
3)
Rhino 6 or later only, with graphic user interface for Rhino7 only
4) , 5) , 6)
closed polysurface
7)
Model Units