Select Child

Select Child picks one child from a group of objects based on either an index number or a name. This is especially useful in scripted and parametric designs where you want to dynamically choose which object to display.

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How to Use

  1. Select two or more objects
  2. Apply the Select Child operation from the Duplication menu
  3. Choose By Index or By Name to control how the child is selected
  4. Set the index number or name to match

Parameters

  • Selection Method - Choose between By Index (select by position) or By Name (select by object name). Displayed as buttons.
  • Child Index - The zero-based index of the child to select (shown when using By Index). Supports expressions.
  • Child Name - The name of the child to select (shown when using By Name). Supports expressions.

If the index is out of range or the name doesn’t match any child, the first child is returned as a fallback. If there are no children, nothing is returned.

Use in Scripting

Select Child is designed to work with expressions and the rand() function to create dynamic, data-driven designs. For example, you can build a scene with several variant objects as children and use an expression like rand(42) as the index seed to randomly pick one.

Example: Random book props for a stage show

  1. Import 5 different book meshes as children of a Select Child operation
  2. Set the Selection Method to By Index
  3. Use an expression for Child Index, such as floor(rand(seed) * 5) where seed is a sheet variable
  4. Duplicate the Select Child operation multiple times, each with a different seed value
  5. Each instance randomly picks a different book from the set

This pattern works for any scenario where you need to pick from a set of variants: furniture, decorations, architectural elements, or any collection of interchangeable parts.

Tips

  • Combine with Array to create varied patterns where each copy selects a different child
  • Use sheet variables for the index or name to drive selection from a spreadsheet
  • The fallback-to-first-child behavior means your design never breaks even if the index or name is wrong
  • Array - Duplicate objects in linear, radial, curve, and transform patterns