Selection Falloff 1.0 - Documentation

1. Installation and first use

Install

1. Download the Selection Falloff Extension ZIP. Leave it zipped.
2. Open Edit > Preferences > Get Extensions. Open the top-right menu, choose Install from Disk and select the ZIP.
3. Confirm installation and check that Selection Falloff is enabled under Add-ons.

Start

1. Select a mesh, enter Edit Mode and select the geometry to edit.
2. Choose Selection Falloff in the left toolbar (T), or press Shift+F.
3. Position the falloff and use G, R, S or another supported modelling tool.

To reuse a falloff you have positioned and adjusted, pin it in the stack. It remains in the scene and is available when you return to the tool. Pin does not prevent moving the falloff or changing its settings, and it does not save your mesh selection. Groups and all falloffs inside them are kept automatically.

Update

Finish the current operation, close SF popups and leave the tool. Install the newer ZIP with Install from Disk. You normally do not need to uninstall the previous version or restart Blender.

Compatibility

Requires Blender 4.5 or later. Tested on Windows with 4.5.4, 4.5.13, 5.0.1, 5.2.2 and 5.3 preview builds (beta and alpha). macOS and Linux may work, but have not been tested and are not guaranteed. No separate Python or library installation is needed.

2. Preferences and shortcuts

Open Edit > Preferences > Add-ons > Selection Falloff.

Keymaps, General and Appearance contain shortcuts, default settings and viewport appearance.

General

Choose Default Falloff and Default Influence Curve. With Automatically Add Default Falloff enabled, entering SF or pressing Shift+F can create a default falloff when none in the scene has enabled influence. A falloff hidden with the eye still has influence and prevents this. With automatic creation off, add falloffs manually with + in the stack.

Preset Library sets the folder for saved curves and groups. Back it up separately from the installation.

Keymaps

SF shortcuts can be changed here. Modelling shortcuts follow Blender's keymap. The status bar shows the keys available during an operation.

Default shortcut	Action
Shift+F	Enter SF. Inside SF, fit a selected visible Linear, Radial, Elliptical or Bidirectional falloff, including pinned falloffs. For Topological or Geodesic, capture the selection as anchors.
Hold Shift, repeat F	Cycle Fit through Auto, X, Y and Z. Release Shift to reset. If you assign a shortcut with no modifier, use the axis buttons instead.
Shift+I	Reverse the selected falloff before or during a supported operation.
[ / ]	Previous and next Influence Curve preset, also during an operation.
M during Move	45 Degree Move for a Linear falloff.
B during a drag	Set Snap Base when moving a falloff or using supported G, R or S operations. In Inset, B toggles Boundary.
F9	Adjust the previous operation and its influence.

Appearance

Set colours, opacity and sizes for weight points, falloff handles and labels. Field Handles adjusts handle size and picking area. Volumes & Groups adjusts sphere, ellipsoid and group handles. Snap Picking Radius changes how close the pointer must be to a snap target.

3. Interface

Common settings are in the header. Full settings are in the N sidebar or the Properties editor.

1: SF in the T toolbar. 2: Tool Settings header. 3: N sidebar, Tool tab. 4: Active Tool settings in Properties.

Open the panels

Press T for the toolbar and N for the sidebar. In Properties, use the Active Tool tab. The sidebar and Properties show the same SF settings.

Header

Falloff changes the selected falloff's type. Curve selects its Influence Curve preset. Fit selection fits the falloff with Auto or X/Y/Z, and Reverse changes its direction. Further settings depend on the falloff type.

If the header settings are missing, right-click the viewport header and enable Tool Settings.

Weight colours

With the default colours, red points mean 0% influence and yellow points mean 100%. Colours between them show intermediate weights.

Selection and fitting

After an operation, the falloff stays in place. Changing the selection does not fit it again. Use Fit to Selection when you want to fit the falloff to a new area.

4. Tool Settings

Sections can be collapsed. Their open or closed state is kept for the session.

Full settings for a Linear falloff. Shape & Placement changes with the falloff type.

Falloff Stack

Add, select, rename, change type, reorder, group, duplicate, pin, hide or disable falloffs. See Stack and groups below.

Shape & Placement

Fit, Reverse and settings specific to the selected falloff. Numeric Placement lets you enter exact positions.

Active Falloff

Blend sets how the falloff combines with other falloffs in the stack. Strength scales its weights before blending.

Influence Curve

Change how the falloff's weights are distributed. Edit or save curve presets. Adjust Last Operation changes the previous result.

Supported Tools

Lists the modelling tools that work with falloffs. Hover over a tool for its shortcuts. Extrude and proportional-editing settings are here.

Exit Selection Falloff

Leave the tool. Unpinned falloffs are removed, while pinned falloffs and groups are kept.

5. Stack and groups

Select a falloff in the stack to edit its settings. Double-click its name to rename it.

A group containing two falloffs. The name and type are shown separately.

+ adds a falloff or group. The type menu changes an existing falloff. Duplicate copies it, and Remove deletes it. The arrows change the order. Move to Group puts a falloff in a group, and Outside Groups takes it out. Deselect All clears the selected falloff or group.

Blend and Strength

Falloffs combine from top to bottom. Blend sets the blending mode, and Strength scales the falloff's weights. A group combines its falloffs first, then applies its own Blend and Strength.

Blend	Effect
Replace	Replace the combined influence above with this falloff's weights.
Add / Subtract	Add or subtract this falloff's weights.
Multiply	Multiply the combined influence above by this falloff's weights. As the first falloff, it gives zero influence.
Min / Max	Keep the lower or higher weight.

Stack icons

These clickable icons are beside each falloff in the stack. A group's visibility and influence settings also apply to its falloffs. Auto Pin, above the stack, pins existing and newly added falloffs.

Icon	Effect
Pin	Keep the falloff when leaving the tool.
Checkmark	Enable or disable the falloff's influence while keeping it visible.
Eye	Hide the falloff in the viewport without disabling its influence.
Monitor	Hide the falloff and disable its influence.

Group Presets

Save a group to reuse its setup in another scene. The preset menu lets you apply, rename or delete it. Presets save falloff settings, not mesh selections or permanent anchors.

6. Spatial falloffs and fitting

Spatial falloffs distribute influence in 3D space according to their position and size, independently of the mesh.

A Radial falloff on a plane. Influence is strongest at the centre and falls to zero at the sphere boundary.

Falloff	Weight distribution
Linear	0% at Start and 100% at End. Points in a plane perpendicular to the falloff's axis have equal weight. Use it for a gradual lift or taper.
Radial	100% at the centre, falling to 0% at the radius. Use it for a local bulge or dent.
Elliptical	A stretched Radial falloff. Radius Y/Z change its proportions, and Roll turns it around its main axis.
Bidirectional	0% at both ends and 100% in the middle. Use it for a central lift along one axis.

Fit to Selection

Auto finds the main direction of the selection. X/Y/Z fit along the axes of Blender's selected transform orientation.

Reverse

Shift+I reverses the selected falloff. Linear exchanges its endpoints. Other types reverse the direction before applying the Influence Curve, so a custom curve can change the result.

7. Move, rotate and snap falloffs

Drag an endpoint to move it. Drag the middle or body handle to move the whole falloff.

Drag and switch to Rotate or Scale

1. Start dragging a falloff handle or a group handle. A group handle moves the spatial falloffs in that group together.
2. The drag is already Move (G). While dragging, press R or S to rotate or scale the whole falloff or group. SF cancels the unfinished drag before starting Rotate or Scale.
3. A simple drag confirms on release. After switching mode or entering a number, confirm with left click or Enter. Right click or Esc cancels.

Snap Base

During a positional handle drag or supported G, R or S operation, press B. Point at a vertex, edge or face, then click or press B again to set the reference point. Snap that point to the destination and confirm. The reference can be anywhere on the mesh, not just at the handle you grabbed.

Snap Base is not available for radius drags or Normal Offset. Rotate and Scale need a single pivot, so Snap Base is not available with Individual Origins.

While dragging

Use X, Y or Z for an axis constraint and Shift+X, Shift+Y or Shift+Z for a plane. Hold Shift for precision. Ctrl temporarily reverses snapping, and Shift+Tab toggles it. Visible modifier results can be snap targets.

With no mesh vertices selected, G, R and S can transform the selected spatial falloff or group directly. Nonuniform scaling can change a Radial falloff to Elliptical.

8. Topological and Geodesic sources

Choose where distance starts, using an active mesh element or stored anchor points. Paths can pass through unselected geometry.

The large red points are anchors on the unselected end loop. Weights spread around the cut torus to the selected region. Anchor colour follows the 0% colour preference.

Source: Active

The active vertex is the starting point. For an active edge or face, all its vertices are starting points. The farthest reachable selected vertex sets the distance for 100% weight, before Reverse and the Influence Curve.

Source: Anchors

1. Select the source vertices, edges or faces. Click Use Selection as Anchors to store them.
2. Use Add Selection to Anchors to add more sources. Select Anchors selects the stored anchors.
3. Select the geometry to modify. Anchors may be inside or outside this selection. Each vertex uses its shortest distance to the nearest anchor.
4. Use Reverse or the Influence Curve to change the weight distribution.

Multiple sources

For example, set both poles of a sphere as anchors and select the whole sphere. Distance starts at either pole. The equator is farthest from both and receives the highest weight with a Linear curve.

Keeping anchors

Moving vertices keeps anchors. Topology edits can reset them when SF cannot confirm that the original elements remain. Loading a file or switching meshes can also reset anchors. Pin and presets do not permanently save them. Disconnected areas with no path to a source are ignored.

9. Distance metrics

Topological offers Edge Length and Edge Steps. Geodesic measures approximate distance across the surface.

The same cut-torus lift with Topological Falloff and Edge Length distance on the left and Edge Steps on the right. Big red points mark the anchor loop.

Why the results differ

On the left, edges around the inner radius are shorter. Those vertices are closer to the anchors than vertices on the outer radius, so they move less. This stretches the circular section. Geodesic result will be very similar. But on the right, each edge counts equally. Vertices in each corresponding loop have equal weights and move together, keeping the circular section.

Distance	Measurement
Edge Length	Distance along edges, including object scale.
Edge Steps	Number of edges passed, regardless of length. Diagonals and extra subdivisions can change the result.
Geodesic	Approximate distance through polygon interiors, not only along edges. Usually slower than Topological.

Multi-Object Edit Mode

Spatial falloffs share one placement across the edited meshes. Topological and Geodesic in Active mode use each mesh's own active element and distance range. A mesh without a source is skipped. Anchors across several edited meshes use a shared maximum distance. Paths cannot cross between separate meshes.

10. Spline falloffs

Spline weights vary along a path and can fade with distance from it. Settings are in Shape & Placement and the header's Spline Settings.

An editable spline with yellow radius rings. For this screenshot, the 0% weight colour has alpha set to zero to make the spline easier to see.

Setting	Use
Edit Spline	Click the path to add a point. Drag points to move them. Press X or Delete to remove a selected point. Turn editing off when finished.
Closed Spline / Closed Path Seam	Close the internal path and choose where its ends meet.
Link to Guide	Use a Curve or a single edge-only mesh chain or loop. Branches are not supported.
Guide Spline Index	Choose a spline inside a Curve object that contains several splines.
Use Guide Modifiers	Use the mesh guide's modifier result. It must still be a single edge-only chain or loop.
Make Independent	Keep the guide's shape as an editable internal path and unlink the guide.
Clear guide link	Return to the falloff's internal path.

11. Spline radius and direction

Influence Curve changes weights along the path. The radius settings control how far influence spreads to either side.

Setting	Use
Tube Radius	Set the overall radius of influence around the path.
Radius Controls	Set the number of radius rings. Drag a ring to change the local width. Changing the count redistributes the radius profile.
Radial Falloff	Choose how influence fades from the tube's core to its outer edge.
Radial Hardness	Set the part of the radius with full radial influence. Fading begins outside this core.
Infinite Radius	Remove the radius limit. Weights still vary along the path.
Local Branch Blend Reach	In Infinite mode, adjust blending near neighbouring parts of the path.
Reverse	Reverse influence along the path while keeping the radius profile in place.
Reverse Path & Radius	Reverse the path order and exchange the start and end radius profiles.

Two ways to reverse a spline

Suppose the spline is wide at the start and narrow at the end. Reverse changes which end has stronger influence without moving the wide region. Reverse Path & Radius also moves the wide region to the other end.

Small radius rings

A dashed ring makes very small radii easier to grab. Drag it to adjust the radius.

Closed paths

Closed Path Seam moves the point where the path starts and ends. If the influence at those ends differs, there will be a weight jump at the seam.

12. Influence curves and F9

F9 > Adjust Last Operation Influence.

Presets and Custom

Choose Linear, Smooth, Ease In, Ease Out, Sharp, Root or Sphere. Add or drag curve points to edit Custom. Custom keeps your edits while you switch presets during the session.

User Presets

Save a curve to reuse it later. The preset menu lets you apply, rename or delete saved curves.

During an operation

Press [ for the previous preset or ] for the next preset. Shift+I reverses the falloff selected at the start of the operation. These shortcuts also work between operations.

F9 popup

After an operation, press F9 to change its settings or influence. Click outside the popup to finish. You can reopen F9 while Blender still allows adjustment of that operation.

Adjust Last Operation

The checkbox in Tool Settings keeps adjustment active until you turn it off. Some settings are disabled while it is on. Use it to keep editing the previous result without a popup.

13. Modelling tools

The falloff weights control the amount of each operation. Supported Tools in Tool Settings lists the available commands and shortcuts.

Tool	Default shortcut and modal keys
Move / Rotate / Scale	G / R / S. Blender's transform gizmos also use the falloff weights.
Normal Offset	Alt+S. S toggles Even. Hold Alt to temporarily reverse Even.
Extrude	E. Alt+E starts Extrude Along Normals in SF, rather than opening Blender's extrusion menu.
Inset	I. Ctrl adjusts Depth. Tab switches numeric Thickness/Depth. I: Individual. O: Outset. B: Boundary. E: Even.
Edge / Vertex Slide	G then G starts the applicable slide. Shift+V starts Vertex Slide. E: Even. F: Flipped where available. C: Clamp. Alt: temporary clamp change.
Offset Edge Slide	Ctrl+Shift+R. Creates offset loops and slides them with weights. Cap Endpoints closes open ends where possible.
Edge / Vertex Bevel	Ctrl+B / Ctrl+Shift+B. See Weighted Bevel below.

Extrude influence

Choose Per Vertex for smoothly varying extrusion. Uniform per Island uses one average weight for each selected island, based on face area or edge length. Use it for repeated details that should remain uniform within each island.

45 Degree Move

During Move with a Linear falloff, M toggles 45 Degree Move. It adjusts displacement to create a 45-degree slope across the falloff.

Proportional editing

Proportional settings are in Supported Tools. For supported transforms, nearby unselected vertices receive influence based on the nearest selected weight and the proportional falloff. This extension does not apply to topology-changing tools.

Extrude Cancel

Esc resets extrusion movement but keeps the new geometry. Use Undo to remove the extrusion.

14. Weighted Bevel

Ctrl+B bevels edges. Ctrl+Shift+B bevels vertices. The falloff varies the bevel amount across the selection.

F9 Bevel settings. The graph at the bottom is the falloff's Influence Curve.

Influence Curve and Profile Type

Influence Curve changes how strongly Bevel affects different parts of the selection. Profile Type changes the shape of the bevel itself.

Superellipse uses the numeric Profile setting, which appears when Segments is above 1. Custom opens a separate profile editor. In this screenshot, Segments is 1 and Profile Type is Superellipse. The only visible graph is Influence Curve.

While dragging

Use the wheel or numpad + / - to change Segments. A: Amount. S: Segments. P: Profile. M: Width Type. C: Clamp. V: Affect.

O / I: Outer/Inner Miter. Z: Profile Type. U / K: Seam/Sharp. Hold Shift for precision or Ctrl for increments. Check the status bar if your keys differ.

Profile support

Custom Profile supports Auto and Vector handles, but not Free or Aligned handles. Harden Normals and Vertex Mesh Cutoff are not supported.

15. Troubleshooting and support

No influence

Check the falloff's checkmark and monitor icons, including those of its group. Topological and Geodesic need an active element or anchors connected to the selected area. Multiply or Subtract as the first falloff can leave weights at zero.

A falloff disappeared

Unpinned falloffs are removed when you leave SF or Edit Mode. Pin a falloff to keep it. The eye and monitor icons can also hide it.

Settings are grey

Finish the current operation, close F9 or turn off Adjust Last Operation in Tool Settings. Select the falloff you want to edit.

Anchors disappeared

Topology changes or switching meshes can invalidate anchors. Select the source geometry again and click Use Selection as Anchors.

Slow feedback

Dense Bevel, high Segments, complex corners, Multires and curved Geodesic meshes can be slow. Try fewer Bevel segments while adjusting the result, or switch from Rendered to Material or Solid.

Yellow data warnings

Some rebuilt geometry may not retain all custom normals or sculpt detail. Inspect the result and use Undo if it is unsuitable.

Cannot update or disable

Close SF popups, finish the current operation and leave the tool, then retry. If Blender already unchecked the add-on, enable it and disable it again after closing the popups.

Report a bug

Send a private buyer message to the seller on Superhive. Include Blender and SF versions, operating system, GPU and driver, viewport mode, steps, expected result and the full error text. A short video or a small non-confidential .blend file helps.

Author and license

Oleksandr Koliasa. GNU GPL version 3 or later (GPL-3.0-or-later). Source code is included. See LICENSE.txt and NOTICE.txt in the Extension.