When i do a Shift-D on a object, the new copy will be a part of the old object.
How can i make the new object a separate one ?
Select all the vertices of the object then press “P” / Seperate-selected parts (spacebar / edit/vertices/separate
Or, to create separate objects, remember to press TAB to switch back to OBJECT mode, before creating a new object. (Creating a new object puts you into EDIT mode, where adding additional meshes makes them part of the current object.
If you use the “P” separate, after doing so, switch back to OBJECT mode, and press “U” / Materials & Tex, otherwise, when you add a Material it will affect both the original and duplicated object
Mike
All you need to do is press p this brings up a small seperate menu > selected & loose parts if you still have the duplicate selected just choose selected or loose parts will make any non continuous parts of the mesh into seperate objects.