Hello.  I’m extremely new to Maya and I am looking forward to exploring all of the new features.  However, before I get there I need to figure out some basic problems I’m having with the interface.  Please forgive me as I ask so very basic questions :)

When I am selecting polygons anywhere there are polygons overlapping, it will select them all.  If I am selecting the front face polygons on a sphere it will select the front and rear polygons. 

Is there any way to make it only select visible polygons? 

Nny :)

I would suggest you post this question in the Maya modeling forum - this one is for 3dsMax.

Max 4.2 through 2013.
XP-64 (SP2)
NVidia 9800GTX-512 (Driver 266.58).
Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 8Gb Ram, DX9.0c.

hello i am actually having this same problem and i am in fact using 3ds max haha

i hope someone can help because this is dragging my workflow down so hard that i might just have to give up and go back to my old user friendly pal and a half modo

any help would be so SOOO appreciated. :D

It would have been helpful not to refer to Maya in your original post.

Turn on “Ignore Backfacing” on the Selection rollout.

Max 4.2 through 2013.
XP-64 (SP2)
NVidia 9800GTX-512 (Driver 266.58).
Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 8Gb Ram, DX9.0c.

i agree but as i am not the original poster i never referred to anything i came to this thread after searching for the same problem and saw that because the original poster had mentioned maya the problem was never and probably never would be worked out here and as i hate the idea of wasting threads i merely suggested that somebody explain how it is done in max anyway because after all why do we always tell people to use the search button??

because these threads aren’t here only to help the original poster but also anyone else who finds the thread in their own search for answers

people forget that fact all too often

and by the way ignore backfacing didnt work i am still drilling down all my selections and selecting everything underneath

i just want to select what i can see in front of me not every layer of geometry underneath

shadow, since the original thread was incorrectly posted, well over a year old, and referring to a different software package, you really should have started your own thread.  I also believe you are having a different problem, in that the original post was referring to a sub-object level and you, I believe, are having problems with selecting objects.

This is a known issue where you will click on an object in the viewport and something in the back is actually selected.  It seems to cycle from back to front.  This is a know issue, and has been discussed a few times.  Most people switch to wireframe, and click on the frame of the object they want to select.  Works pretty well.

3DS Max Design 2011 64-bit - Advantage Pack
Dell Precision T5500, Dual Six Core Xeon X5650 @ 2.67GHz, nVidia Quadro 5000, 24 GB RAM, Win 7 Enterprise 64-bit
Minneapolis, MN, USA

Sorry - didn’t notice you weren’t the OP. That’s what happens when you answer and the OP leaves the thread hanging…
I would have moved it to a Maya forum, but as he didn’t say which version, I don’t know where to move it to (except I wasn’t an admin back then).

I’m not sure why that is happening to you - it doesn’t seem to happen here on a simple test. 4 Boxes attached together. If I select the front poly, even in an ortho viewport, I only get that 1 poly selected.

Can you post an image, or even better an example scene, so we can try it please?

Oh, and please put your Max version (and brief system specs) in your sig - saves us having to keep asking.

Max 4.2 through 2013.
XP-64 (SP2)
NVidia 9800GTX-512 (Driver 266.58).
Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 8Gb Ram, DX9.0c.

hey chris thanks alot i will try the wireframe trick (tbh im just happy that someone else recognizes what i am talking about

and steve thanks for looking into it

i will set my sig up as soon as i have a free minute

as for this thread if its over a year old and not relevant then maybe we should get a mod to close and archive it to avoid any further confusion

You kinda made it current by replying to it :P

It’s ok to carry on in here - I’ve no doubt the OP posted over in the Maya forums, though I havent checked.

Max 4.2 through 2013.
XP-64 (SP2)
NVidia 9800GTX-512 (Driver 266.58).
Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 8Gb Ram, DX9.0c.

haha ok then i hereby dub this thread officially current