Boolean problems on corners with two directions?

[SHenriksen]

Not sure how to explain what I’m curious about but I’ll try with the help of screen shots. Following along the chess set portion of the Blender Creator Course and I’d like to make some blocky looking chess pieces instead of the traditional ones. I made a Rook with a castle roof style top by extruding inset faces in the corners and on those pieces there’s some problem (extra geometry in there?) that makes the faces not flat and there’s some wrinkles. Using the lesson, I tried making a new block and using a boolean modifier to remove the cross area and leave the parapet corners. Similar problems unless I added a lot of insets and bevels and stuff. And, then it looks too sharp but still has weird stretched faces and stuff. Is this because there’s an inside corner right next to an outside one? Is there a way to fix that up?

I’ve put the pictures in this order: Wide shot of weird design of chess pieces, Rook made with extruded faces to create parapet x2 pics, then new Rook with boolean modifier applied x3 pics. Thanks and I hope this is an understandable question.

Full set:

This Rook is made with extruded faces after some loop cuts:

Then this rook is made with a cutter piece and I can’t get rid of the weird shrink wrap looking corners and messiness without adding a lot of extra loop cuts and insets on the faces and then the edges look too sharp (or it doesn’t work):

Thanks again!

[SHenriksen]

I kind of answered my own question by rebuilding the piece with the extrude method and I think it was too many extra vertices and stuff but I’m still curious about how to get a boolean to work properly.

I’m happy with this:

[FedPete]

The Blender boolean can do a lot. But it has its pitfalls.
And yes, check the mesh before and after generation on unwanted edges and vertices.
Mostly cleanup the mesh.
Your rook can also be done by a simple extrusion process.
With more practice, you will recognize the most efficient way.

[NP5]

Good to see you found a solution.

I played with it myself. What I find strange is why add a subdiv? I personally feel there is an obsession with throwing on a subdiv to everything. There is no use or purpose that I can see to such box shapes.

Ngons on flat surfaces can be used.

[SHenriksen]

I added a subdivision to every piece in the set because the queen, bishop and knight all looked great to me with the subdivision for their curves. The rook, king and pawn don’t have any curves really but I was trying to be consistent so they’d all come out looking the same. Are you saying that is not a good practice? I’m new at this so I don’t know best practices. Here’s a pic of the whole set in matcap again:

Thanks

[FedPete]

@SHenriksen

Are you saying that is not a good practice?

There are main types in 3D modeling (discussable)

1. Hard surface models (flat faces like you chess pieces, or a battle tank)
2. Organic modeling (fluid shapes, humans, animals)

Both can have subdivisions!
But a flat face is flat by itself, there are no curves involved. So no extra (subdivision) geometry is needed to make soft smooth curves. it is a flat surface. As NP5 tries to explain.

But nothing in the world has sharp edges, as in 90degrees. There is always -some sort- of a bevel involved. You can use a modifier. Or use the bevel command in the mess editor. Or do it by hand (adding extra loop cuts).
Or, when a subdivision is activated, instruct edges to be sharp or not.

So many options. But for your chess set a solution as NP5 demonstrated, works fine. Until not, then you switch over to another technique or development process.

Every model type has it’s own solution.

[SHenriksen]

Right on. Thanks you guys!