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Blender 5.0+ Updated

Splitting a Cylinder into 4 Equal Quarters

A guide on flawlessly splitting a full cylinder into four quarters and using each as an independent object.

If you want to split the cylinder like a pie slice, the caps must also be splittable:

  • Adding Cylinder: Shift + A -> Cylinder.
  • Critical Setting: In the bottom-left panel, set Cap Fill Type to Nothing. (Closing the caps manually later is the cleanest method).
  • Vertices: Set Vertices to 32.

All operations in this section must be done while in Edit Mode:

  • Open X-Ray: While holding down the Alt key, press the Z key. (You should see through the object like glass).
  • Top View: Press the Numpad 7 key.
  • Deselect Everything First: Before starting the selection, while holding down the Alt key, press the A key. No orange areas should remain on the cylinder.
  • Start Selection: Press the B key (Box Select), then draw a box enclosing a quarter of the cylinder with your mouse.
  • CRITICAL CHECK: Did the selected area turn Bright Orange? If not, the selection failed; draw the box again.
  • Separate: Press the P key and click Selection from the menu.

⚠️ Note: How to Tell it's Separated?

You won't see any visual change initially because the pieces are perfectly overlapping. To test:

  1. Press Tab to exit to Object Mode.
  2. Select Cylinder.001 from the list.
  3. Press the G (Grab) key and move your mouse. You will see the quarter piece move away!

Follow each mode transition carefully to avoid mistakes:

Transition 1: Exiting to Object Mode

You are currently in the old cylinder. Press Tab. Ensure it says Object Mode in the top-left.

Transition 2: Selecting the New Piece

Click once on that quarter piece you separated. It should have an orange outline.

Transition 3: Entering the New Piece's Edit Mode

With the piece selected, press Tab again. It should say Edit Mode in the top-left.

Execution: Filling (Fill)

  • Press 2 to enter Edge selection mode.
  • Select the curved edge at the top and press F. Result: The top cap closes with a grey surface.
  • Select the curved edge at the bottom and press F. Result: The bottom cap closes with a grey surface.
  • Select the open vertical edges inside and press F again. Result: The side walls of the pie slice appear.

Centering the Origin (Orange Dot) to the Object:

  • Quick Method: While in Object Mode, Right-click the object -> Set Origin -> Origin to Geometry. This will automatically move the center to the middle of the object.
  • Multi-Selection: If you have multiple pieces in the scene, selecting them all and performing this action will move each piece's origin to its own center.
  • Benefit: Now you can easily rotate and scale each quarter on its own axis.

If you're using these pieces as wall corners, moving the Origin point to the exact corner vertex makes "Snapping" operations much easier:

  • 3D Cursor: Select the corner vertex in Edit Mode, then press Shift + S -> Cursor to Selected.
  • Moving: In Object Mode, right-click -> Set Origin -> Origin to 3D Cursor.
  • Modular Design: With this method, you can "click" the 4 pieces into the corners of any project effortlessly.