How to Split or Separate an Object in Blender

By Gachoki
Updated January 21, 2025
3 Min Read

Blender is packed with powerful features, and learning how to efficiently manage objects can save you tons of time. If you’ve ever wondered how to separate a single object into multiple pieces, this micro tutorial is for you! We’ll break it down step-by-step, so you’ll feel confident by the end of this post. Ready to level up your Blender game? Let’s dive in!

Why Separate Objects?

Sometimes, you’ll need to split a single object into multiple pieces for easier editing, better organization, or specific design needs. Thankfully, Blender makes this straightforward with the P shortcut in Edit Mode. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Getting Started

Open your Blender project and select the object you want to split.
Enter Edit Mode by pressing Tab.
Select the geometry you want to separate.
Press P on your keyboard to bring up the separation menu.

Step 2: Explore Your Separation Options

1. Selection

This is the go-to method for separating specific parts of your object:

Demonstrating how to separate specific geometry into a new object in blender. The. Gif shows selecting the desired geometry, pressing p in edit mode, choosing 'selection,' and the selected mesh becoming a separate object. — Split a mesh in blender

Select the geometry you want to turn into a new object.
Press P and choose Selection.
The selected mesh will now be its own object.

Pro Tip: This option is perfect when you want precise control over which parts to separate.

2. By Material

Have multiple materials assigned to a single object? This option is a game-changer:

Demonstrating how to split a single object into multiple pieces based on its materials in blender. The. Gif shows entering edit mode by pressing tab, pressing p to open the separate menu, selecting 'by material,' and the object splitting into parts corresponding to its assigned materials. — How to separate an object by material

Press TAB to go to Edit Mode
Press P
Select By Material.
Blender will split the object into multiple pieces based on its materials.

Example: Imagine an object with four materials (e.g., white metal, dark metal, medium metal, and emissive material). Using By Material, Blender will separate the object into four new objects—one for each material.

3. By Loose Parts

This option is ideal for objects with disconnected geometry:

Demonstrating how to separate disconnected geometry into individual objects in blender. The. Gif shows pressing p in edit mode, selecting 'by loose parts,' and blender creating a new object for each piece of unconnected geometry. — How to separate an object by loose parts

Press P and choose By Loose Parts.
Blender will create a new object for each piece of unconnected geometry.

Example: If your object is a robot with loose parts, such as legs, rings, and small decorative pieces, Blender will turn each unconnected piece into its own object.

Step 3: Wrap Up

Once you’ve separated your object, you’re ready to fine-tune or reposition the individual pieces. It’s that easy!

What Next?

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Thanks for reading, and happy blending!