Select

The ;sel command changes the selection mode used by WorldEdit.

A selection is a region of the world defined by one or more points. The active mode determines how WorldEdit interprets those points and what shape the final region will have.

;sel <cuboid|extend|sphere|cyl|convex>

Available modes:

• cuboid
• extend
• sphere
• cyl
• convex

Change selection mode

Use ;sel followed by the mode name:

;sel cuboid
;sel extend
;sel sphere
;sel cyl
;sel convex

To save a mode as the default for future sessions, use -d:

;sel -d cuboid
;sel -d extend
;sel -d sphere
;sel -d cyl
;sel -d convex

Mark selection points

You can mark points from your current position:

;pos1
;pos2

Aliases:

;1
;2

You can also mark the block you are looking at:

;hpos1
;hpos2

Absolute coordinates are supported:

;pos1 100 64 100
;pos2 120 80 130

Relative coordinates are also supported:

;pos1
;pos2 ~10 ~5 ~10

The meaning of each point depends on the active selection mode.

Clear the current selection

Running ;sel without a mode clears the current points.

;sel
;desel
;deselect

Clearing the points does not necessarily change the active selection mode.

cuboid

cuboid is the default selection mode. It creates a rectangular prism from two opposite corners.

;sel cuboid

Points

• Position 1: first corner.
• Position 2: opposite corner.
• A new ;pos2 replaces the previous second position.

;sel cuboid
;pos1 100 64 100
;pos2 110 70 115

The order of the corners does not matter. WorldEdit calculates the minimum and maximum limits automatically.

extend

extend creates a cuboid that can grow through multiple secondary points.

;sel extend

Points

• Position 1 starts a new region.
• Every ;pos2 expands the cuboid enough to include the new point.
• Repeating ;pos2 never reduces the current selection.
• Setting a new ;pos1 starts the selection again.

;sel extend
;pos1 100 64 100
;pos2 110 70 110
;pos2 95 75 120
;pos2 115 60 90

Although it accepts multiple points, the final result is still a cuboid.

sphere

sphere creates a spherical selection.

;sel sphere

Points

• Position 1 defines the center.
• Position 2 defines the radius.
• The radius is calculated from the three-dimensional distance between both points.
• A new ;pos2 replaces the previous radius.

;sel sphere
;pos1 100 64 100
;pos2 110 64 100

The example creates a sphere with an approximate radius of 10 blocks.

The mode uses one uniform radius, so it does not create an ellipsoid with independent X, Y and Z radius.

cyl

cyl creates a vertical cylindrical selection aligned with the Y axis.

;sel cyl

Points

• Position 1 defines the horizontal center and the first height level.
• Position 2 defines or expands the horizontal radius and height.
• Additional ;pos2 commands can increase the radius or extend the vertical limits.
• The horizontal radius is calculated in the X/Z plane.

;sel cyl
;pos1 100 64 100
;pos2 108 70 100

In this example:

• Approximate radius: 8
• Height: from Y=64 to Y=70, inclusive

The cylinder is vertical and cannot be tilted.

convex

convex creates a convex hull around several selected points.

;sel convex

You can imagine the shape as an elastic surface stretched around all marked points.

Points

• Position 1 starts the selection.
• Every ;pos2 adds another vertex.
• At least four points are needed to form a valid three-dimensional volume.
• The points must not all be aligned or located on the same plane.
• Setting a new ;pos1 starts the convex selection again.

;sel convex
;pos1 100 64 100
;pos2 110 64 100
;pos2 105 64 110
;pos2 105 74 105

A convex selection does not preserve deep inward curves or concave spaces. Its outer boundary always remains convex.

What happens when changing modes?

• Changing between cuboid and extend normally keeps the selection because both use a cuboid region.
• Changing to sphere, cyl or convex clears the current points.
• Changing between non-cuboid modes also clears the points.
• Mark the selection points again after changing to a different shape.

Quick comparison

Common errors

Marking position 2 first

For extend, sphere, cyl and convex, define position 1 before adding secondary points.

;pos1
;pos2

Expecting extend to create an irregular shape

extend accepts multiple points, but the final region remains a cuboid. Use convex when you need a convex irregular volume.

Not adding enough points in convex

A three-dimensional convex selection needs at least four points that create a real volume.

Expecting an ellipsoid from sphere

sphere uses one radius. It does not support separate radii for each axis.

Expecting a tilted cylinder

cyl is always vertical and aligned with the Y axis.

Quick reference

;sel cuboid
;sel extend
;sel sphere
;sel cyl
;sel convex

;pos1
;pos2
;hpos1
;hpos2

;sel
;desel
;deselect