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Split Components

In one sentence: Split a mesh that contains multiple disconnected components into separate Mesh::Feature objects — one per component.

Overview

Workbench: Mesh
Menu: Mesh → Meshes → Split by components
Command: Mesh_SplitComponents
Shortcut: none

Analyses the selected mesh for disconnected components (separate mesh islands with no shared edges) and creates one Mesh::Feature per component in the model tree.

Intuition

An imported mesh file may contain many separate objects as one Mesh::Feature — a scan that captured both the part and the scan rig, or a 3-D scene with multiple objects exported as one STL. Split Components separates them into independent objects that can be managed, deleted, or processed individually.

When to use it

  • An imported mesh file contains multiple separate objects.
  • After a Boolean Difference that left disconnected fragments.
  • When you need to delete specific components and keep others of similar size (use with Remove Component by Hand).

When NOT to use it

  • Don't use it when the mesh has many noise fragments — hundreds of components produce hundreds of objects in the model tree. Use Remove Components to eliminate noise first.

Step-by-step

  1. Select the mesh.
  2. Choose Mesh → Meshes → Split by components.
  3. One Mesh::Feature per connected component appears in the tree.
  4. Delete unwanted components manually in the tree.
  5. (Optional) Merge the remaining components back into one.

Workflow: precise component cleanup

1. Import mesh → one mesh object with many components
2. Split Components → separate objects per component
3. Delete small noise objects in the model tree
4. Merge → recombine the remaining objects

Common mistakes and pitfalls

Remove noise first to avoid flooding the tree

An imported scan may have hundreds of tiny noise fragments. Splitting creates hundreds of objects. Run Remove Components with a size threshold first.

Python API

import Mesh
import FreeCAD as App

doc = App.ActiveDocument
mesh = doc.getObject("Mesh")

components = mesh.Mesh.getSeparateComponents()
for i, comp in enumerate(components):
    feature = doc.addObject("Mesh::Feature", f"Component_{i}")
    feature.Mesh = comp

doc.recompute()

See also