Select Other is one of the most useful, but also one of the most underutilized commands in SOLIDWORKS.
A frequent need in SOLIDWORKS is to select a face or edge that is hidden behind other geometry. The reasons vary. There are many techniques which can be employed to gain access to the desired face or edge. Rotating the model and hiding components is common practice. In more challenging situations, the Isolate or Component Preview Window command might be used.
The Select Other command allows for "drilling down" through other geometry which is in the way. Here is a simple example which illustrates the process. In the following image, let's assume the bottom of the Yoke_female component must be selected.
In the image, the bottom of the Yoke_female is already highlighted for clarity. Imagine that is the face we want to select.
Accessing Select Other
To begin the process of selecting the hidden face, right click over where you think the face is. Under normal circumstances, it will be completely hidden, so use your best guess.
The Select Other command.
In the context sensitive toolbar, click on the Select Other command, shown in the previous image. After clicking on the Select Other command, three things will happen.
Using Select Other
After selecting Select Other, notice the face the cursor was positioned over is now transparent. This is shown in the following image.
The second thing you will notice is the small Select Other pane that appears. The window will list the various faces and components which were behind the cursor at the time the Select Other command was invoked. Hovering over the objects in the list will highlight them. If the object you were trying to select highlights when hovering over it in the list, left click to select it. The object will be selected and the Select Other command will close.
Hiding Faces
The third detail you may notice is how the cursor changes appearance. The following image shows the Select Other cursor increased in size for clarity. Notice what looks like a computer mouse with symbols on the mouse buttons.
The eye is the standard symbol for hiding something in SOLIDWORKS. That is exactly what it does here. Hovering over faces highlights them, and right clicking will hide it. The idea is to hide any faces in the way, thereby allowing you to select the desired face.
Once the desired face is visible, left click to select it. This will exit from the Select Other command, leaving the previously hidden face selected.