Maya script for a combined Separate/Extract

fancy_separate.py

"""
FancySeparate by Richard Brenick
(written for JKeys)

A combined Separate/Extract script.
Also does some clean up of groups created by seperate function.

"""
import maya.cmds as cmds
import maya.mel as mel

def extract_selected_faces_as_duplicate_objects():
    selected_faces = cmds.ls(sl=True, flatten=True)
    selected_meshes = list(set([f.split(".f[")[0] for f in selected_faces]))
    
    new_meshes = []
    faces_to_delete = []
    for mesh in selected_meshes:
        new_mesh = cmds.duplicate(mesh)[0]
        new_meshes.append(new_mesh)
        
        new_mesh_faces = [f.replace(mesh, new_mesh) for f in selected_faces]
        
        for face in cmds.ls("{}.f[:]".format(new_mesh), flatten=True):
            face_on_org_mesh = face.replace(new_mesh, mesh)
            if face_on_org_mesh not in selected_faces:
                faces_to_delete.append(face)
        
        faces_to_delete.extend(selected_faces)
        
    cmds.delete(faces_to_delete)
    
    # center pivot
    [cmds.xform(m, cpc=True) for m in new_meshes]
    
    # select for convenience
    cmds.select(new_meshes)
    

def separate_full_meshes():
    sel_meshes = cmds.ls(sl=True, type="transform")
    
    new_meshes = []
    to_delete = []
    for sel in sel_meshes:
        sel_parent = cmds.listRelatives(sel, parent=True)
        sel_short_name = sel.split("|")[-1]
        
        separate_result = cmds.polySeparate(sel, ch=True)
        separated_meshes = cmds.ls(separate_result, type="transform")
        
        renamed_sel = cmds.rename(sel, sel_short_name+"_TO_DELETE")
        to_delete.append(renamed_sel)
        
        mel.eval("DeleteHistory;")
        
        for i, separated_mesh in enumerate(separated_meshes):
            if sel_parent:
                cmds.parent(separated_mesh, sel_parent)
            else:
                cmds.parent(separated_mesh, world=True)
            
            new_mesh = cmds.rename(separated_mesh, sel_short_name)
            new_meshes.append(new_mesh)
            
    
    # these should now be fully seperated, so we can delete the empty node
    cmds.delete(to_delete)
    
    # center pivot
    [cmds.xform(m, cpc=True) for m in new_meshes]
    
    # select for convenience
    cmds.select(new_meshes)
            
    

if __name__ == "__main__":
    if cmds.ls(sl=True, type="transform"):
        separate_full_meshes()
    else:
        extract_selected_faces_as_duplicate_objects()