Split

Table of contents:
Introduction
Split

Let's talk about the Split tool. In other applications, similar functionality is commonly referred to as Separate, Split Mesh, or Detach. While the naming may vary, the function remains the same: it separates selected regions of a model into independent objects so they can be edited individually.

In SelfCAD, the Split tool can be found in the Utilities section of the main Toolbar, below the divider. It allows you to detach specific faces or regions from a larger object, turning them into separate models within the workspace. In practice, this enables users to isolate components for detailed editing, break complex models into manageable parts, prepare assemblies for separate export, or modify individual sections without affecting the rest of the geometry.

The Utilities category serves as a modeling assistance toolkit, focused on organization and workflow efficiency rather than direct reshaping. Split is especially useful when working with complex or multi-part designs. In this article, we'll explore how to use the Split tool effectively and manage your models with greater flexibility.

Select the region of the object and Split

The first step of using the Split tool is selecting the region of the object that you want to split from the object. In the Right Side Panel, you will find an Interactive Rectangle, where you can enter one of the following selection modes: Face or Polygon. Then, you can simply click on the parts of the object that you want to split to select them.

Once the regions are selected, you can enable the Split tool by choosing it from the Utilities drop-down list in the main Toolbar, or use a shortcut by pressing the 'U+S' combination on your keyboard. There is no real customization process when it comes to using this tool, and the selected parts will split right after activating the tool. The split part will appear in the Object Management Panel as a new object.

And that’s about it for the Split. After reading this article, you should know the basics of this tool and how to use it, and know about its different applications. Of course, the graphics shown here were just examples, and using this tool with different settings will give you slightly different effects, but its underlying principles will always stay the same.

That's all I have for you today. I wish you success in your future projects. See you, and stay tuned for more content to come!