Introduction
Image 1: The main Select By Rules interface
Select By Rules is a powerful plugin for Unreal Engine designed to make actor selection more efficient and intuitive. Whether you are working on complex levels or managing a large number of actors, this plugin will help streamline your workflow with customizable rule-based selections and many advanced features.
This detailed manual will guide you through all the plugin's features and provide best practices for using it effectively in your Unreal Engine projects.
Table of Contents
Installation
Prerequisites
- Unreal Engine 5.3 or later
- Existing Unreal Engine project
Method 1: Installation via Unreal Engine Marketplace
- Open the Epic Games Launcher
- Go to the Marketplace tab
- Search for "Select By Rules"
- Click "Get" to add the plugin to your library
- Open your Unreal Engine project
- Go to "Edit" > "Plugins"
- Find "Select By Rules" in the plugins list
- Enable the plugin by checking the box
- Restart the editor when prompted
Method 2: Manual Installation
- Download the plugin from the official website or Unreal Engine Marketplace
- Unzip the downloaded archive
- Copy the plugin folder into your project's "Plugins" folder
- If the "Plugins" folder does not exist, create it at the root of your project
- Launch your Unreal Engine project
- If needed, enable the plugin via "Edit" > "Plugins"
- Restart the editor for changes to take effect
Note
After installation, the "Select By Rules" tool will be accessible from the Unreal Engine menu: Window → Select By Rules.
Interface Overview
The Select By Rules interface is designed to be intuitive and easily accessible. It consists of several main sections:
Image 1: The main Select By Rules interface
Mode Buttons
The "Live Mode", "aA" (Match Case), "Hidden", and "Child" buttons are located below the title bar and control selection behavior.
Selection Rule
The "Selection Rule" field allows you to enter search terms to filter actors in your scene.
Action Buttons
The "Select" and "Clear / Reset" buttons allow you to apply or reset your selection.
Bookmarks
The numbered buttons from 1 to 9 serve as bookmarks to quickly save and recall specific selections.
Isolate Selected Actors
The "Isolate Selected Actors" button temporarily hides all unselected actors in the scene.
Filter By Types
The "Filter By Types" section shows a list of actor types present in your scene with the number of instances in parentheses.
Image 2: Viewing selected cubes in the Outliner panel using Select By Rules
Features
Rule-Based Selection
The main function of this plugin is to allow you to select actors in your scene using text-based rules.
Image 3: Using the selection rule with the term "cube"
Image 4: Result of the selection in the Outliner
Tip
You can use wildcards in your selection rules:
*- matches zero or more characters?- matches a single charactercube*- will select all actors whose name starts with "cube"
* (wildcard) is automatically added to the end of your rule, even if it is not shown in the field. This means your rule will match any actor names that start with your input unless you specify otherwise.
About Path Separator /
- If you do not use
/, the rule matches only the last item in the actor path.
Example:Cube*will match onlyCube5. - If you use
/, you can match all items inside a parent path.
Example:*_root/will select all items inside/cube_root/*.
How to use rule-based selection:
- Enter your search term or rule in the "Selection Rule" field
- Click the "Select" button to apply the selection
- All actors matching the rule will be selected in the scene and the Outliner
- The "Filter By Types" filter will update to show the matching actor types
Note
The selection rule searches actor names, not their properties. For more advanced searches, combine this feature with type filters.
Live Mode
Live Mode automatically updates the selection as you type, without needing to click the "Select" button.
Image 5: The "Live Mode" button is enabled in the interface
Advantages of Live Mode:
- Instant response to your selection criteria
- Immediate visualization of results as you refine your search
- Faster and more intuitive workflow
- Ideal for exploring large sets of actors
Attention
In very complex scenes with many actors, Live Mode may cause a slight decrease in performance. In such cases, it may be better to disable it and use the "Select" button manually.
Match Case (aA)
The "aA" (Match Case) option lets you choose whether the search should be case-sensitive or not.
Image 6: This view shows the impact of case sensitivity when selecting actors
When the option is enabled:
The search is case-sensitive. For example:
- Searching for "Cube" will only select actors with "Cube" with a capital C
- Actors named "cube" with a lowercase c will not be selected
When the option is disabled:
The search ignores case. For example:
- Searching for "cube" will select all actors containing "cube", "Cube", "CUBE", etc.
- Useful for broader selections without worrying about capitalization
Tip
Use enabled match case for more precise selections, especially useful in projects that use specific naming conventions where case matters.
Child Selection (Child)
The "Child" option controls whether child actors should be automatically included when selecting a parent actor.
Image 7: Actor hierarchy showing a parent-child structure with cube_root as the parent
When the option is enabled:
Selecting a parent actor will automatically select all its children:
- Selecting "cube_root" will also select Cube4, Cube5, and Cube6
- Useful for working with grouped actors or complex hierarchies
When the option is disabled:
Only the actor specifically matching the criteria will be selected:
- Selecting "cube_root" will only select that actor, not its children
- Allows for more precise and targeted selection
Tip
Use the Child option to efficiently manipulate complex structures. For example, enable it to move or transform entire groups of objects together, or disable it for precise adjustments on specific actors in a hierarchy.
Dynamic Actor Type Filtering
The "Filter By Types" section dynamically displays all actor types present in your scene, with the number of instances in parentheses.
Image 9: The "Filter By Types" section showing different actor types
Key Features:
- Select only the actor types actually present in your scene
- The number in parentheses indicates how many actors of each type are currently selected
- Clicking an actor type will select all actors of that type
Tip
Combine type filtering with rule-based selection for even more precise results. For example, first select all StaticMeshActors, then use a rule to refine the selection to those whose name contains "prop_".
Bookmarks
The bookmarks feature allows you to quickly save and recall up to 9 different actor selections, which is extremely useful for complex projects.
Image 10: Bookmarks dialog
Image 11: Confirmation dialog to replace an existing bookmark
Using Bookmarks:
- Save a selection: Select the desired actors, then long-press the desired bookmark number (1-9) until the confirmation dialog appears
- Load a selection: Simply click the bookmark number to recall the saved selection
- Replace a bookmark: When you long-press an already used bookmark, a dialog will ask you to confirm the replacement
Tips for Using Bookmarks
- Use the first bookmark (1) for your most frequent selections
- Organize your bookmarks by category (e.g., 1-3 for environment, 4-6 for characters, etc.)
- Bookmarks are especially useful for quickly switching between different parts of a complex scene
Note
Bookmarks are saved between editor sessions using tags. They will persist even after you close and reopen the Unreal Engine editor.
Isolate Selected Actor
The "Isolate Selected Actors" feature allows you to temporarily hide all unselected actors in the scene, making it easier to work on specific objects without distraction.
Image 12: The "Isolate Selected Actors" button in the interface
Image 13: Dialog for managing excluded types during isolation
Standard Usage:
- Select the actors you want to isolate
- Click the "Isolate Selected Actors" button
- All other actors will be temporarily hidden
- Click the button again to restore visibility to all actors
Advanced Feature - Excluding Types:
- Long-press the "Isolate Selected Actors" button for 2 seconds
- A dialog will appear to manage excluded types
- You can choose to exclude certain actor types from isolation (for example, keep lights visible)
- Select "Yes" to load previously saved excluded types
- Select "No" to replace excluded types with the current selection
Tip
For an efficient workflow, set up excluded types to always keep essential elements like lights (DirectionalLight, SkyLight) and reference actors (PlayerStart) visible. This allows you to work on specific objects while maintaining proper context and lighting.
Best Practices and Tips
Naming Conventions
Adopt consistent naming conventions to fully leverage rule-based selections:
- Use prefixes for object types (e.g., SM_Wall, BP_Enemy)
- Structure names hierarchically (e.g., env_forest_trees)
- Number consistently (e.g., tree_01, tree_02)
Bookmark Organization
Plan your use of bookmarks for maximum efficiency:
- Bookmark #1: Essential elements (lights, cameras)
- Bookmarks #2-3: Main environment elements
- Bookmarks #4-6: Gameplay objects
- Bookmarks #7-9: Temporary or specific selections
Effective Use of Filters
Combine different features for precise selections:
- First use type filtering to narrow the scope
- Refine with rule-based selection
- Finalize with the Child option if needed
Performance Optimization
Manage resources efficiently with these tips:
- Disable Live Mode in very dense scenes
- Use isolation to work with actor subsets
- Exclude non-essential types during isolation
Recommended Workflow
- Set up your excluded types for isolation at the start of your session (long-press "Isolate Selected Actors")
- Save your frequent selections in bookmarks
- Use precise and consistent rules for selection
- Combine type filtering and selection rules for optimal results
- Use temporary isolation to focus on specific parts of your scene
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use regular expressions in selection rules?
A: No, the plugin does not support full regular expressions, but it offers wildcards like * and ? which provide similar flexibility for most use cases.
Q: Are bookmarks saved between sessions?
A: Yes, bookmarks are saved between editor sessions using tags. They will persist even after you close and reopen the Unreal Engine editor.
Q: How can I select all actors of a certain type?
A: Simply click the desired actor type in the "Filter By Types" section to select all actors of that type in the scene.
Q: Does the plugin work with persistent sublevels?
A: Yes, the plugin can select actors in all loaded levels, including the persistent level and sublevels.
Q: How can I quickly select all hidden objects?
A: Enable the "Hidden" option, then use the wildcard * in the rule field to select all actors, including those that are hidden.
Q: Are exclusions for isolation saved?
A: Yes, the actor types you exclude for the isolation feature are saved between sessions.
Q: How can I select actors in a specific hierarchy?
A: First use a rule to find the parent actor, then enable the "Child" option to also select all its children. Or use the path separator / in the rule field to select all actors inside a parent path e.g. "*_root/".
Contact Information
Technical Support
For any technical questions or issues with the plugin:
- Email: support@onestepsolutions.ch
- Support forum: N/A
Feedback and Suggestions
We appreciate your feedback to help improve the plugin:
- Email: support@onestepsolutions.ch
Updates and Versions
To stay informed about the latest updates and features:
- Site web: https://onestepsolutions.ch/unreal/selectByRules/
- Discord: https://discord.gg/whvpNvG36C
Select By Rules is developed with passion for the Unreal Engine community.
Thank you for choosing our plugin, and we hope it improves your workflow!