Booleans are completely breaking on my object #95823

New Issue

Caden Mitchell · 2022-02-17T00:21:34+01:00

Caden Mitchell commented

2022-02-17 00:21:34 +01:00

System Information
Operating system: macOS Monterey (ARM64)
Graphics card: Apple Silicon M1

Blender Version
Broken: 3.2.0 Alpha & others
Worked: 2.83.X? (reported in comment)

Short description of error
Booleans can often be very touchy and may require positioning them just right for them to do operations properly. It seems that it really depends on where the vertices line up. I've been cutting window slots out of ridged galvanized steel plates using boolean cubes and it's worked for every other object. However, this one particular piece in my scene has been causing endless trouble for me despite being the exact same procedure. Seems as though I need to put my boolean objects in the EXACT RIGHT place for them to work right. I found that adding a ludicrous number of subdivisions w/ the subsurface modifier can somewhat help, but it greatly depends on whether or not I position my cubes in the right spot. It is preventing me from placing my windows where they need to go on my scale accurate historic building recreation. I don't know why this object is being so temperamental but it is blocking me from making any progress on this side of the building and I'm afraid I'll keep running into the problem later on.

I may post additional demo files that showcase more boolean issues as I frequently run into problems of faces not being filled properly, crappy vertex extrusions, objects being weirdly combined instead of differenced, and many more annoyances. I hope booleans can get a lot more love from the developers so that they work as intended.

Exact steps for others to reproduce the error
I'm not entirely sure how to reproduce an issue like this. It mostly plagues more detailed models but can happen anywhere and depends on object positions, alignment, topology, and so on. Attached is a problematic file.

Attached file information
F12870489 There are several issues present. For one thing, the boolean modifier is struggling to cut a simple rectangle out of a plane. It is adding geometry to certain parts, cutting out geometry that shouldn't be cut out, and is not accurate at all. I've noticed that using the "fast" option usually yields better results than using the "exact" option. However, in the case of this object, it actually breaks it EVEN MORE! Try selecting the "cutoutGalvanizedSteel" (planar object) and setting the booleans to "fast" to see a new problem emerge. Adding a solidify modifier to the very top of the stack will fix the issue. However, booleans should work on planes, too.

F12871474 Many different problems. Boolean objects are displayed as wireframes. If you see a boolean as having geometry, it's because it is being added by the Boolean modifier. The boolean modifier likes to add the boolean's geometry to the source mesh sometimes, even when it is set to difference or intersection. In issue 2, there is a mesh problem in the boolean. If you enter edit mode, you can see that the problematic vertices are selected. They crash the boolean operation altogether. Merging these vertices will solve the issue, but for more complex boolean objects, this may not always be an option.

brokenBooleans.blend.zip
BorkedBooleans.blend.zip

**System Information** Operating system: macOS Monterey (ARM64) Graphics card: Apple Silicon `M1` **Blender Version** Broken: 3.2.0 Alpha & others Worked: *2.83.X*? (reported in comment) **Short description of error** Booleans can often be very touchy and may require positioning them just right for them to do operations properly. It seems that it really depends on where the vertices line up. I've been cutting window slots out of ridged galvanized steel plates using boolean cubes and it's worked for every other object. However, this one particular piece in my scene has been causing endless trouble for me despite being the exact same procedure. Seems as though I need to put my boolean objects in the EXACT RIGHT place for them to work right. I found that adding a ludicrous number of subdivisions w/ the subsurface modifier can somewhat help, but it greatly depends on whether or not I position my cubes in the right spot. It is preventing me from placing my windows where they need to go on my scale accurate historic building recreation. I don't know why this object is being so temperamental but it is blocking me from making any progress on this side of the building and I'm afraid I'll keep running into the problem later on. I may post additional demo files that showcase more boolean issues as I frequently run into problems of faces not being filled properly, crappy vertex extrusions, objects being weirdly combined instead of differenced, and many more annoyances. I hope booleans can get a lot more love from the developers so that they work as intended. ![Screen Shot 2022-02-16 at 4.21.02 PM.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12870499/Screen_Shot_2022-02-16_at_4.21.02_PM.png) **Exact steps for others to reproduce the error** I'm not entirely sure how to reproduce an issue like this. It mostly plagues more detailed models but can happen anywhere and depends on object positions, alignment, topology, and so on. Attached is a problematic file. **Attached file information** [F12870489](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12870489/brokenBooleans.blend.zip) There are several issues present. For one thing, the boolean modifier is struggling to cut a simple rectangle out of a plane. It is adding geometry to certain parts, cutting out geometry that shouldn't be cut out, and is not accurate at all. I've noticed that using the "fast" option usually yields better results than using the "exact" option. However, in the case of this object, it actually breaks it EVEN MORE! Try selecting the "cutoutGalvanizedSteel" (planar object) and setting the booleans to "fast" to see a new problem emerge. Adding a solidify modifier to the very top of the stack will fix the issue. However, booleans should work on planes, too. [F12871474](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12871474/BorkedBooleans.blend.zip) Many different problems. Boolean objects are displayed as wireframes. If you see a boolean as having geometry, it's because it is being added by the Boolean modifier. The boolean modifier likes to add the boolean's geometry to the source mesh sometimes, even when it is set to difference or intersection. In issue 2, there is a mesh problem in the boolean. If you enter edit mode, you can see that the problematic vertices are selected. They crash the boolean operation altogether. Merging these vertices will solve the issue, but for more complex boolean objects, this may not always be an option. [brokenBooleans.blend.zip](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12870489/brokenBooleans.blend.zip) [BorkedBooleans.blend.zip](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12871474/BorkedBooleans.blend.zip)

Caden Mitchell commented

2022-02-17 00:21:34 +01:00

Added subscriber: @Caden-Mitchell

Pratik Borhade commented

2022-02-17 04:40:47 +01:00

Added subscriber: @PratikPB2123

Pratik Borhade commented

2022-02-17 05:12:13 +01:00

Changed status from 'Needs Triage' to: 'Needs Developer To Reproduce'

Pratik Borhade commented

2022-02-17 05:12:13 +01:00

Thanks for the report. Works weill if self-intersection enabled.
Also behaves correctly on version 2.83.17.
I don't have code insights of boolean modifier so will leave this for developers to answer

Thanks for the report. Works weill if self-intersection enabled. Also behaves correctly on version 2.83.17. I don't have code insights of boolean modifier so will leave this for developers to answer

Caden Mitchell commented

2022-02-17 18:03:59 +01:00

In #95823#1309011, @PratikPB2123 wrote:
Thanks for the report. Works weill if self-intersection enabled.
Also behaves correctly on version 2.83.17.
I don't have code insights of boolean modifier so will leave this for developers to answer

When I enable self intersection on the boolean modifiers, I get even worse results:

The windows should be cut out but, it's weirdly adding the boolean cube objects to the geometry in places and removing in others.

> In #95823#1309011, @PratikPB2123 wrote: > Thanks for the report. Works weill if self-intersection enabled. > Also behaves correctly on version 2.83.17. > I don't have code insights of boolean modifier so will leave this for developers to answer When I enable self intersection on the boolean modifiers, I get even worse results: ![Screen Shot 2022-02-17 at 10.02.26 AM.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12871445/Screen_Shot_2022-02-17_at_10.02.26_AM.png) The windows should be cut out but, it's weirdly adding the boolean cube objects to the geometry in places and removing in others.

Caden Mitchell commented

2022-02-17 18:35:19 +01:00

Here's another example file with simpler geometry and more instances of issues. Everything is annotated in the file. Seems like mesh issues, topology, object positions, solid/planar, and so on can really affect the accuracy of the operations.

The booleans are all displayed as wireframes so you can easily see the boolean problems. To turn off wireframes for these objects, select them and change Object > Viewport Display > Display As to "textured".
BorkedBooleans.blend.zip

Here's another example file with simpler geometry and more instances of issues. Everything is annotated in the file. Seems like mesh issues, topology, object positions, solid/planar, and so on can really affect the accuracy of the operations. ![Screen Shot 2022-02-17 at 10.31.55 AM.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12871475/Screen_Shot_2022-02-17_at_10.31.55_AM.png) The booleans are all displayed as wireframes so you can easily see the boolean problems. To turn off wireframes for these objects, select them and change `Object > Viewport Display > Display As` to "textured". [BorkedBooleans.blend.zip](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12871474/BorkedBooleans.blend.zip)

RedMser commented

2022-02-18 17:04:08 +01:00

Added subscriber: @RedMser

Philipp Oeser removed the

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Booleans are completely breaking on my object #95823