To select an edge in Blender's Edit Mode, you typically use your mouse. Beyond simple selection, Blender offers quick ways to select connected edges like loops.
Basic Edge Selection
In Edit Mode, ensure you are in Edge Select mode. This is one of the three selection modes (Vertex, Edge, Face) available in the header of the 3D Viewport. It looks like a line segment icon.
- Single Edge: Simply Right-Click (RMB) on an edge to select it.
- Add/Remove Edges: Hold Shift while Right-Clicking (RMB) on additional edges to add them to your selection or remove them if they are already selected.
Advanced Edge Selection: Loops
Blender provides powerful hotkeys for selecting groups of connected edges, such as edge loops, which are crucial for modeling workflows.
- Edge Loop Select: Holding Alt while Right-Clicking (RMB) on an edge will select a complete loop of edges. This selects all edges that are connected in a line end-to-end, passing through the edge you clicked on. This is incredibly useful for quickly selecting bands around objects or along specific features.
- Add to Edge Loop Selection: To select multiple edge loops simultaneously, hold Shift + Alt while Right-Clicking (RMB) on subsequent edges. This adds the newly selected edge loop to your existing selection.
The hotkeys Alt-LMB and Shift-Alt-LMB can also be used depending on your Blender preferences setup for "Select With". If your preferences are set to Left-Click Select, you would use Alt-LMB and Shift-Alt-LMB instead of the Right-Click variations mentioned above. The core principle remains the same: Alt + Click selects a loop, and Shift + Alt + Click adds a loop to the selection.
Summary of Edge Selection Hotkeys
Here's a quick reference for common edge selection actions in Blender's Edit Mode:
| Action | Hotkey (Default Right-Click Select) | Hotkey (Left-Click Select) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select Single Edge | RMB | LMB | Selects the edge under the cursor. |
| Add/Remove Single Edge | Shift + RMB | Shift + LMB | Adds/removes the edge under the cursor to/from the selection. |
| Select Edge Loop | Alt + RMB | Alt + LMB | Selects a complete loop of edges connected end-to-end. |
| Add/Remove Edge Loop | Shift + Alt + RMB | Shift + Alt + LMB | Adds/removes an edge loop to/from the current selection. |
| Select Edge Ring | Ctrl + Alt + RMB | Ctrl + Alt + LMB | Selects an edge ring (edges opposite each other across faces). |
| Add/Remove Edge Ring | Shift + Ctrl + Alt + RMB | Shift + Ctrl + Alt + LMB | Adds/removes an edge ring to/from the current selection. |
| Select All/None | A | A | Toggles selection of all visible elements. |
| Invert Selection | Ctrl + I | Ctrl + I | Selects all currently unselected elements and deselects all selected ones. |
Understanding these selection methods allows for much faster and more efficient modeling by quickly isolating the specific parts of your mesh you need to work on.
