Reply To: Why not do it properly?

[Jonathan Lampel]

Why not instance the Boolean? 

I think that’s a totally valid question! In this case I think it would have taken more time. The Array modifier doesn’t do curved arrays, so we’d have to go through setting up a curve and spacing it properly, or we’d need to use Geometry Nodes, both of which are slower than just placing it by hand. We could have instanced the object itself and put those instances into a collection and used that collection as the Boolean source, but we apply the modifier right away so that also just ends up being extra steps.

Why not use quads?

The triangles aren’t actually the source of the shading issue in this case – it’s the change in poly density around a smooth curve. With quads you’ll still get pinching around the poles and anywhere where two loops are close together. I made the same shape with just quads before recording since I was also curious about that, and it ends up with roughly the same shading issues but takes more time and adds unnecessary complexity.

Edit: though Martin’s quad solution in the other thread is quite clean and I would say is better overall, though the shading issue still stands so the end result is the same. 

Like Adrian mentioned, there are always a variety of ways to accomplish the same thing, and each approach has inherent pros and cons, so as you’re learning don’t hesitate to try both and go with whatever makes the most sense to you, though do try to look at the process with fresh eyes.