How To Select a Vertex, Edge, or Face in The Different Shading Modes

So, you've reached the point where you look at your model and think you must edit a specific part of it. But how do you do it without messing up everything you've done? You want to select something specific! It’s not worth discarding a fantastic model for a simple error. So, let's learn how to select a vertex, edge, or face in the shading modes.

When you want to transform your model in the Edit Mode, note that you will edit it according to the shading mode you have selected: Solid, Wireframe, Material Preview, and Render. So, for example, if you are in Solid Mode and pick a vertex, face, or edge, you will avoid those just behind.

But let’s suppose you want to select the same point on your model’s front and back sides. In that case, you can change to the Wireframe Mode, select and drag the vertex, edge, or face, and on the Orthographic Mode, you will see the result.

 You can also access these functions using some shortcuts:

1. To select an entire loop of your model without pressing Shift and clicking one at a time, you can use the Loop Tool, which serves in any of the selected modes. You just need to be over the edges, face, or vertex you want to select, and hold Alt and click on one of them. After that, you will see the entire loop selection around the model.

Note: Depending on where you click, with the Face Selecting Mode, Blender can recognize it to make a horizontal or vertical selection. If you want to do it horizontally, your click must be near the left or right edge, but if you want a vertical loop, your click must be near the border on the top and bottom of the face.

Note:  When you select the loop, you will notice that the faces near the center are missing; this is because Blender only selects those faces that are similar between them, so the loop stops when the program recognizes a different figure. In this specific example of the sphere, you can observe that it is only composed of square faces, and the first and last are triangular.

2. To select two different points, just hold Ctrl and click on the first vertex, edge, or face and where the path ends. With that, Blender will detect the number of spaces between those points.

Note: Blender usually chooses the shortest selection path, so if you want a large selection, you can do the first one. Then, keep holding Ctrl and continue until you think you’ve finished, or simply use the box selection tool, go to the Orthographic Mode, and select it.

Alright, there you have it. There’s no need to throw away a whole model. Now, you can select only a particular part and edit it as you see fit.