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Selection Question

Graham Cohen2 months agoAnswered

Hey Dave (And fellow C4d'ers).

Quick question regarding selections. In Blender, if I select a polygon face for example of a simple cube, I see the face is selected by the face turning yellow/orange as one would expect. If I change my mode from face mode to Vertex mode, the 4 cornering vertices of my selected face are selected and maintains my selection so I can continue to manipulate my mesh. Now, in C4d, if I have a similar setup and have a face selected in an editable cube and switch from polygon/face mode to Mesh/Vertex mode, the mesh is not selected. My question is am I doing something incorrect? Is there a setting I can activate to maintain the selection when switching across modes? Is the C4d workflow different as to not maintain the selection across modes?

An example i'd use is say I have an object where a bunch of linked faces are not even and I wish to smooth out the vertices, i'd normally quickly select the faces i'd want to smooth out, switch to vertex mode and apply smoothing to the selected vertices. However, in C4d, the selection isn't maintained so I have to reselect all of the vertices i want to smooth out. I'm thinking I must be doing this wrong or my workflow isn't correct somehow. I'm still learning C4D from coming over from Blender so i'd very much anyone's thoughts on this.

Thanks so very much.

Graham.

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  • DaveAdmin10 days ago

    Hi Graham! Welcome to the world of Cinema 4D. Coming from Blender, the selection logic can definitely feel like a bit of a "culture shock" at first.

    You aren't doing anything "incorrect," but you’ve hit on a bit of a difference in how the two programs handle data. In Blender, selection is global across modes; in C4D, each mode (Points, Edges, Polygons) maintains its own independent selection buffer.

    Here is the breakdown of how to handle this and the "C4D way" of working:

    The "Convert Selection" Shortcut

    You actually mentioned the answer in your opening sentence, but here is exactly how to execute it:

    • The Workflow: While in Polygon mode with your faces selected, hold the Ctrl (or Cmd) key and click the Points mode icon in the top toolbar.

    • What happens: C4D takes the current polygon selection and "casts" it onto the points. You will now be in Points mode with those specific vertices selected.

    • Note: This works in any direction (Points to Edges, Edges to Polygons, etc.).

    Why C4D does it this way

    The reason C4D doesn't mirror Blender's behavior automatically is to allow you to hop back and forth between complex selections without losing work.

    Imagine you spend 10 minutes meticulously selecting a specific ring of Edges for a bevel, but then you realize you need to move a single Point on the other side of the model.

    • In Blender: If you switch to Vertex mode, your edge selection is effectively "converted" or lost if you start deselecting (as far as I know anyway, I havnt touched Blender in ages).

    • In C4D: You can switch to Points mode, move that one point, and then switch back to Edges mode—your original edge selection will still be exactly where you left it.

    Quick Tip: The "Commander"

    If you find yourself needing to convert selections often and hate reaching for the toolbar, use the Commander (Shift + C). Just type "Convert" and you’ll see options like Convert Selection which allows you to change modes via a pop-up menu.

    For your Smoothing Workflow

    For the specific smoothing task you mentioned, there is an even faster way in C4D that avoids mode-switching entirely:

    1. Select your Polygons.

    2. Right-click and choose the Iron tool (one way you can smooth in C4D).

    Even though you are in Polygon mode, the Iron tool will smooth the underlying vertices of that selection.

    Most C4D mesh tools are "selection-aware," meaning they will act on the boundaries of whatever you have selected, regardless of which mode you are currently in.

    Hope that helps! Have a great weekend!