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Maya Training Series: Lesson 1

That may seem like a lot to take in, but selection commands will become second nature as you continue to spend time in Maya. Learn to use time saving commands like grow selection, and select edge loop as early as possible, because in the long run they'll speed up your tremendously.

Select Edge Loop - In edge mode, double clicking an edge will automatically select the entire edge loop (all contiguous/uninterrupted edges).

Shift + Ctrl + Click - Add to selection. Whereas Shift + Click is a toggle function, Shift + Ctrl + Clicking will always add components to the selection set. This is a useful command if you already have a number of faces or vertices selected and want to be sure you don't deselect any by accident, especially when using a marquee selection.

Ctrl + Click - Deselect. Ctrl + clicking is another way to subtract components from the selection set.

Box select - You can click and drag a rectangular selection marquee in the view-port to select numerous faces, edges, or vertices simultaneously.

Here are a few additional selection techniques that you'll be using quite frequently:

Maya Lesson 1.5: Selection & DuplicationBy , About.com Guide

Maya Lesson 1.5: Advanced Selection Tools