Is there better methods for selecting faces when select "Link" or "Paint" do not work well ?

Hi Martin, Thanks for feedback. 

I'm sorry to hear that there isn't a more efficient way to select the desired faces. In this case, I may need to select them individually.

Actually, the specific model isn't the main concern.

My intention is to learn how experienced Blender users select faces on a model like this in order to assign materials.

Thank you, Omar.

At least today I learned a new shortcut Shift+G.  I can use it for many other cases. 
I tried using Select Similar (Shift+G), but it didn't quite work for my needs.

The quickest method for me remains using "C" for selecting faces one by one.

Thank you for your help!

I've done a lot of work on convoluted meshes like this. Usually I'm working on cleaning up game models or similar and they won't be exported back out of Blender in such a way that keeping their geometry intact matters too much so my workflow reflects that.

Best case scenario the model might have some vertex groups already established and you can select portions of the mesh by selecting the vertex groups. Check the Data tab.

Sometimes models come in as a group of joined objects. If it seems to make sense I might select all in edit mode and separate by loose parts.

Sometimes models come in as a chaotic clump of loose geometry that makes zero sense (at least outside of a game engine) so I select all and Merge by Distance which usually helps.

If I see I need to start selecting parts of the mesh more exactly I will often convert a triangulated mesh to quads just to reduce the number of faces I'm going to have to deal with. This has the bonus effect of sometimes creating loops which are more quickly selected.

If anything can be selected via, say, loop selection and/or via the "by similar" options then I do that as much as possible.

Unfortunately, most of the time it comes just making selections by hand. Remember, selecting things you DON'T want selected and then inverting the selection (crtl-i) to get the stuff you do want can help speed things up in some cases.

IMPORTANTLY!!!! Once you get your selection made SAVE and NAME it as a vertex group in the Data tab! This way you can always quickly reselect those areas later! You can also assign/remove selections from existing groups so if you've spent a bunch of time tediously selecting stuff by hand but need a break you can assign that to a group and always come back later to add more.

Hope this helps!

Hi Coyo

Thanks a lot for your reply. There's a lot of useful information to help improve my selection skills.

Selection Tips Noted:

1. Check vertex groups (Unfortunately, this model does not come with vertex groups, but I will keep this tip in mind for future use).

2. Edit mode > "P" Separate by loose parts.

3. Select all > "M" Merge by Distance.

4. Convert triangle mesh to quads to reduce the number of faces to select.

5. "Shift+G" Select Similar.

6. "Ctrl+i" Invert selection.

7. After selecting, SAVE and NAME the vertex group in the Data Tab.

8. Ctrl Numpad +/- to grow selection

Thank you very much for sharing.

kwin - That's a good summary! I hope it helps! I know STLs rarely have reasons to come with established vertex groups but sometimes game models (my experience is mostly with World of Warcraft models) do import with some vertex groups related to how they map textures. Sometimes even the bone weight groups can be helpful.

That Keanu STL looks remarkably clean as far as STLs go, actually! Often they are just decimated sculpts (I admit I do this as well for my sculpts going to print).

I don't know if it helps but i came across the function “select loop inner region” and had to think about your problem. If you can select the edges of your mesh (eyebrows), you could also use the function “Select Loop inner Region” via SELECT -> SELECT LOOP -> SELECT LOOP INNER REGION. then all faces in the edge loop are selected. Maybe it doesn't help here but elsewhere

Hello Leo,

Thank you very much for adding another tip. I just learned about the Select Loop Inner Region function from you.

Unfortunately, I can't apply it to this model without manually selecting the closed loop first.

However, this tip will be very helpful for other use cases, I will definitely use it so thank you again.

By the way, I saw your Chemex model from the Weekly Challenge.

It is so nice and realistic !!

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question!

I can't handle so many beautiful words <3
One day you'll have some advice for me. I'll remind you