SOFTWARE: AUTODESK MAYA

Juston Mousavi, Germany

Antony Ward replies

Booleans have always been seen as unpredictable and unstable, but does the new update make them usable again?

There are many modelling tools we work with daily that we take for granted. A simple bevel, weld or extrude works as expected, and we have come to rely on them being stable. This is how things should be, meaning that you can work without issue and hit all those deadlines – however, the same cannot be said for one other tool, and that’s the Boolean.

A tool seen in every major 3D program, it’s used to join, subtract or weld one model to another, saving time and allowing for some complex shapes to be created quickly and easily, yet it’s something I personally never use. You see, my history with the Boolean, like a lot of people, is a patchy one filled with broken promises and disappointment. On multiple occasions I’ve put my trust in it, only to be let down as it decides that instead of cleanly cutting the model, it would rather throw a tantrum and cause a crash. On the odd occasions when it’s agreed to cooperate, the topology which it’s left has been unusable, meaning I have to spend time cleaning it up or building it again manually.