the title says it all i think but just to explaine.

i want to work on several shapes on screen which involves selecting one to weld it to another shape, but i want to keep my original on screen as a guide, but when i drag a selection box around my active shape i sometimes select the original too.

is there a way i can keep the original on screen but freez it so that it wont be selected by mistake.

hope that makes sense

thanks

You can lock an object using the Object Properties dialog (on the Object menu, or right-click on the object).

To unlock things, you can use the Unlock All option on the Object menu.

thats perfect just what i was looking for, thank you

You could also put the original on another layer (at the bottom) and then lock this layer. I think that's better sollution for refference image because you can lock/hide it easily anytime you want.

I also recommend using layers.

"weld"? You play garry's mod?