Boolean addon?

[Voxelette]

I’m currently doing the complete blender course. I’m presently at the spitfire modeling part. I’m enjoying the course, but something bothers me.

Grant continuously dissuades us from using the boolean tools, saying it’ll cause complicated results for beginners. I understand it’s better for us to learn the tools than do cutouts with booleans. However, as someone who worked with vectors and Illustrator’s boolean tools, I feel it’ll help us to learn it than push it aside.

I have a cousin with no graphic design skills going into a blender with YouTube tutorials last month. He is already creating amazing models quite above my level because he’s working on a higher level using modifiers and booleans to speed up the workflow while I’m working with a low-level tedious workflow.

What’s worse is Grant occasionally teases us. For example, showing the Boolean addon activated while showing us the auto-mirror addon and saying he has it active but won’t use it in the course.

I’ll be lying if I said I wasn’t annoyed. Why not just spend 5 mins introducing the tool for those that want to use it?

I purchased all the blender courses from GDTV in a mental fog of spontaneity. So, to get the most value, I’m avoiding YouTube tutorials.

Are booleans, array modifiers, etc., ever used in any GDTV blender course? 🥹

[NP5]

Booleans are used in some parts of the courses I am sure. As are arrays, not sure arrays have add ons to use. However they are messy and not best practice in many cases.

I do not use or like auto mirror either! Use the proper modifiers it does for you, and understand what it takes to set them up. IMO.

The add ons are usually paid for. GD does not want to ‘force’ students to pay for such things probably comes into it. There is much more irritated feedback if some resource needed requires a paid account or similar.

Personally I just turn off any YouTube that starts using paid add ons.

Of course there are many, many, ways to use Blender, and huge variety in desired outcomes.
There is also a portion that think buying an add on will make them better, looking for quick and easy, not learning.

[VVruba]

The problem with booleans is that they result in awful topology which you then have to clean up if you want smooth results and no glitchy shading. And the only way to learn what good topology is meant to be and how to make it is by doing poly-modelling. Booleans in 3D are not as straightforward as with 2D vectors, there is an extra layer of complexity that comes with the additional dimension. In 2D everything is an n-gon because topology doesn’t matter.

Booleans are also not an answer to everything. They are exceptionally useful for hard-surface modelling but fall short for organic models where sculpting usually reigns supreme. Poly-modelling lands itself in the middle and is also the easiest to do, albeit not the quickest, which is probably why there is a strong focus on teaching it.

Five minutes is not enough to teach you how to utilize them properly. It may be enough to give a quick demo but you can probably figure that much out yourself. The problem with actually introducing it “for those that want to use it” is that you’re risking beginners going off-course and then making “I did exactly as he said but mine looks wrong” posts.

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Also, Blender’s booleans are also not the greatest. I know that there is work being done to make them better but honestly, if you want good results right now without losing sanity you’ll probably be looking to use HardOps/Boxcutter and possibly Quad Rmesher, which are paid add-ons. So that alone is probably a big reason why they are avoided.

@Voxelette

I’m avoiding YouTube tutorials.

Don’t avoid anything that will help you learn, GameDevTV doesn’t have a course for everything. There are so many fantastic free resources out there, forgoing all of it just because you paid for one or two courses is quite frankly idiotic in my opinion.

Also, ask your cousin for pointers and what resources they used if you envy their work lol.

[FedPete]

Great explanation!