Select by Normal
This tool is also available in the Select Menu in the Top Menu group. If you use this tool with no selection, you will be presented with a reduced range of options - the ones that need no selection. If however, you select one or more polygons on an object and then choose Select by Normal you will be presented with a window containing the following options:
- Angle Tolerance - Polygons whose normals are at no more than this value in difference to your original selection will be selected.
- Distance Tolerance - This will be ghosted unless you enable the following item.
- Use Distance Threshold - This enables the above item where you can specify a maximum distance for Select by Normal to work.
- Same Surface - Only selects polygons with the same surface.
- Select Connected Only - Only selects polygons that are directly connected. If you unweld a group of polygons they won’t be selected.
- Update - Shows the modifications you made to the selection.
- Select by Axis - Will select polygons based on the axis chosen and the Angle Tolerance.
- Selecting a single polygon on two, unconnected spheres.
- Opening Select by Normal we can see that additional polys are already selected because of the default angle.
- Increasing the Angle Tolerance selects more polygons.
- Ticking Same Surface removes the polygons on the red surface.
- Checking Use Distance will open the Distance field.