---
title: "Pattern Selection"
url: "https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/TOOLPATTERNSELECTION.html"
section_path: "Select Menu > Pattern Selection"
element_id: "TOOLPATTERNSELECTION"
command_id: "1060498"
description: "Pattern Selection What is it about? This page documents the Pattern Selection tool in Cinema 4D. It repeats an existing polygon selection in chosen …"
---

# Pattern Selection

> **Note:** **What is it about?**
>
> This page documents the **Pattern Selection tool** in **Cinema 4D**. It repeats an existing polygon selection in chosen directions across the mesh — turning one selected shape into a regular pattern, ideal for grids of windows, vents or panels.

With this polygon tool, selections can be duplicated next to each other as often as desired.

![Image: 2024_02_pattern_selection.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/2024_02_pattern_selection.png)

When the tool is called up, 4 arrows appear around the existing selection, letting you to select the direction of the selection duplicates. Simply click on it to enable/disable it. The selection preview shows the future selection in white, which is then created when you click on the **Assign** button (Tool tab).

The arrow directions are based on the direction of the mesh, similar to what the [Loop Selection](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/TOOLLOOPSELECTION.html.md) does. Consequently, the tool works best with homogeneous meshes, preferably consisting of quads, while it quickly reaches its limits with scanned objects consisting of triangles, for example.

# Limitations

- Related selections should share at least one edge to be recognized as such:\
  ![Image: 2024_03_pattern_selection.png](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/2024_03_pattern_selection.png)\
  The selection on the left will be recognized as a contiguous selection and duplicated as a whole, while the selection on the right will cause problems because each polygon will be classified as a separate selection to be duplicated.
- N-gons are not supported.