Select By Rules
is a powerful productivity plugin for Unreal Engine that supercharges the Outliner with intelligent, rule-based selection. Instead of endlessly clicking through hundreds of actors, simply type a rule, hit Select, and instantly highlight every matching actor in your scene.
Teaser Video: Video
Documentation: Documentation
Support: Link
Need to focus only on those assets? With just two clicks, everything else hides
while you choose exactly which actor types (like lights, reflections, or cameras) should remain visible for context. This means cleaner viewports, zero guesswork, and faster iteration in complex environments.
Designed with scalability and clarity in mind, Select By Rules simplifies daily workflows in large productions. Whether you're building expansive levels, tuning lighting rigs, or debugging gameplay logic, this tool helps you work smarter, not harder.
Isolation Re-imagined: Keep the Lights On
Unlike standard viewport isolation, Select By Rules lets you keep critical context. Hold Isolate Selected Actors for two seconds, tick the classes you always want to see (DirectionalLight, SkyLight, PlayerStart, etc.), press Save, and carry on modelling in perfect lighting. Click once to isolate; click again to restore the full scene. Your exclusion list persists across Unreal sessions, so you set it once and forget it.
Key Features
Rule-Based Actor SelectionDefine simple or advanced rules to select actors using name patterns, wildcards (*, ?), or hierarchy path syntax (/). Fast, powerful, and flexible.
Live ModeInstant feedback as you type. No need to hit “Select”—just enable Live Mode and watch selections update in real-time as your rule evolves.
Match CaseMake your searches case-sensitive with one click—great for projects that use strict naming conventions.
Hidden Actor InclusionOptionally include hidden objects in your search results—essential when working in performance-heavy or visually crowded levels.
Child SelectionInclude or exclude child actors from your selection. Great for working with complex hierarchies and grouped actors.
Dynamic Actor Type FilteringSee and filter by actual actor types present in the scene, along with a count of instances. Perfect for refining your selections.
BookmarksSave and recall up to 9 custom selection sets. Selections persist between sessions thanks to smart tagging.
Highlight Feature: Isolate Selected Actors
This flagship feature brings a whole new level of control:
Hide all actors except the ones you've selected.
Maintain full context with Exclusion Rules: keep lights, reflection actors, or navigation helpers visible by default.
Save and recall your excluded actor types across sessions.
Ideal for focused work on mesh groups, props, or environments without losing lighting and scene composition.
Long-press the isolation button to customize what stays visible—DirectionalLight, SkyLight, PlayerStart, and more.
Typical Production Workflow
Filter by type – Click StaticMeshActor to scope your selection domain.
Refine with a rule – Type prop_* and watch Live Mode highlight every prop.
Bookmark – Long-press 2 to store that selection for later.
Isolate – Single-click Isolate; the viewport now shows only the props plus lights.
Tweak, test, restore – Fine-tune materials, click Isolate again, move on.
Why Artists & Level Designers Love It
Zero Outliner scrolling – Select thousands of actors in milliseconds.
Safer edits – Isolation with context prevents accidental light & reflection changes.
Consistent naming wins – Works hand-in-hand with team naming conventions.
Session-to-session memory – Bookmarks and isolation exclusions survive restarts.
Pure Editor utility – No runtime code; your packaged build stays lean.