SMS:Dynamic Tools

The Dynamic Toolbar contains tools that apply to the selected module and active numerical model. These tools are called dynamic because the available tools change whenever the module or numerical model is changed. These tools are used for creating and editing entities specific to the module. They appear between the Project Explorer and the Graphics Window below the Static Tools.

Selection Tools

The selection tools (Select Feature Point/Node, Select Feature Arc, Select Cell, etc.) in SMS allow selecting entities displayed in the Main Graphics Window. It is necessary to first select objects before issuing many of the commands in SMS. For example, to delete a node, the node must be be selected and then the Delete command issued. Selections can be made using a box, polygon, arrow, or by clicking a single location. In addition, selections can be toggled, have new items added, or remove items. Below is a list of modifier keys and corresponding actions.

• None – This will clear the current selection and add the newly selected items. Dragging will create a selection box. All items contained in the box will be selected.
• Ctrl – Clicking while holding the Ctrl key will create a polygon. All items contained in the polygon will be selected. If control is held while dragging, an arrow will be created. All items which the arrow passes through will be selected. (Control will cause the same behavior with any combination of the Alt and Shift keys)
• Shift – Holding Shift causes all newly selected items to be toggled. If it was selected before it will be unselected, and if it was not selected it will be selected.
• Alt – Holding the Alt key causes all newly selected items to be added to the selection list regardless of previous state.
• Alt + Shift – Holding Alt and Shift causes all newly selected items to be removed from the selection list regardless of previous state.

The various selection types, polygon, arrow, and box, are available in all tools with the exception of the arrow. An arrow selection can only be performed when selecting line or polygon (e.g. mesh elements, scatter triangles, etc) elements. The arrow must cross a polygon or line edge to select it.

When selecting polygon features the rules for selection may vary slightly. In the map module all vertices of the polygon must be contained in the selection box or polygon. For mesh elements, scatter triangles, and Cartesian grid cells only the centroid must be contained.

When clicking a single location, the element closest to the eye (i.e. drawn on top of other elements) will always be selected. All other forms of selection (box, polygon, and arrow) will select all elements meeting the required criteria.

Other commands for selecting multiple objects such as Select With Poly, Select by Material Type, and Select by Data Value can be found in the Edit menu.

Related Topics

• 2D Mesh Module Tools
• Cartesian Grid Module Tools
• Scatter Module Tools
• Map Module Tools
• GIS Module Tools
• 1D Grid Module Tools
• Particle Module Tools