Boolean
Modifier

Modernising a powerful but broken legacy tool

The Boolean Modifier project set out to replace a longstanding legacy workflow that, while powerful in concept, was fundamentally deficient in both reliability and user experience. Modelers used the existing tools with reservations — complex geometry frequently produced failed results, and the tool forced users to create brand new geometry rather than working non-destructively within 3ds Max's modifier stack.

Our high-level goals were clear:

• Integrate the Boolean workflow as a modifier, enabling seamless non-destructive creation within the 3ds Max modifier stack
• Deliver flawless, consistent results — transforming the tool from one used with reservations into one relied upon in production
• Create a UX that keeps the modeler in the viewport rather than constantly traversing to the command panel

Understanding the problem space

Traditional boolean operations in 3ds Max produced unpredictable results with complex geometry, requiring extensive cleanup and manual adjustments. While we knew these were deficiencies to address, it was critically important to validate our assumptions and surface any issues we might have missed.

Customer insights came from multiple sources. The 3ds Max Ideas page served as one, where users could post suggestions and vote on functionality improvements. We also drew on years of defect reports against the legacy tools, giving us a precise picture of specific reliability failures and edge cases.

We also anchored the work in a clear articulation of the why — not just the what or how.

Finally, hard analytics data on legacy tool usage informed our success criteria. We knew we needed to create a better experience that would result in dominant adoption — sufficient to justify deprecating the legacy systems entirely.

Benchmarking against the field

Boolean-based workflows are common across 3D modeling tools, making competitive analysis straightforward. We tested results against Blender, Houdini, C4D, and others across reliability, performance, and UX.

The findings were instructive: even with known deficiencies, 3ds Max's legacy booleans were generally more reliable than the competition. But to be consistently more reliable, further work was needed. Performance on complex geometry also lagged some alternatives. And across all tools tested, none delivered the kind of immediate, fluid viewport-centric experience we were targeting.

Core principles to raise the bar

To genuinely surpass both our legacy tools and the competition, we defined a set of non-negotiable principles that would guide every decision:

• Make it bulletproof. Stability above all else — treated as a top priority from day one and measured against a test suite of over 10,000 meshes
• Build it as a modifier. Max artists depend on the modifier stack. Converting the legacy object-based workflow into a modern modifier-based solution would unlock proceduralism and dramatically improve productivity
• Prioritise workflow. Keep the modeler in the viewport, not traversing the command panel. Better feedback, less friction, more creative flow
• Deliver performance. Real-time feedback, even with computationally expensive operations on large, complex models
• Retain the data. Unlike most boolean tools, preserve UVs, normals, material associations, and other mesh data channels through the operation

Design process

In positioning the Boolean Modifier as the replacement for 3ds Max's Boolean Object and ProBoolean, we began by analysing the existing tools — identifying what DNA was worth carrying forward, and where the new modifier-based approach required a fundamentally different UX model.

Initial beta and continuous refinement

The initial beta delivered not just a new way of working with booleans but a broad set of functional improvements:

• A reworked core engine addressing longstanding defect cases, with a pre-process step to fix incoming mesh issues before the operation ran
• Quick operation choices at the top of the interface to accelerate setup
• A dynamic operand list allowing fast modification, reordering, and display of participating meshes
• In-viewport ghosted display of operands and direct manipulator-based editing
• In-viewport right-click menu for fast mode switching and common operations
• Active referencing of operands supporting animation and easy updates
• Full data preservation including UVs, materials, normals, and other channels

Initial beta response was very positive. But positive feedback also surfaced new challenges — particularly around performance at scale. Lighthouse customers flagged that the reference-based operand approach, while appreciated for enabling animation and easy modification, could cause performance issues with hundreds of stacked boolean operations.

This prompted a rethink: a new captured operand option was developed to address scalability concerns. Additional functionality followed — non-manifold cutters, intersection shape creation, compatibility with the new Array Modifier in parallel development, and OpenVDB integration for volume-based boolean operations.

Throughout the beta, both in-house pressure testing and lighthouse customer real-world projects validated UX, performance, and reliability in a continuous agile cycle. When issues were reported, they were addressed iteratively.

Results after one year in market

The Boolean Modifier shipped in 2024 and met every goal set at the outset. Customer response was excellent — and the sentiment was backed by hard data.

What comes next

Customers have already weighed in on where the tool goes from here:

• Workflow improvements for manipulating operands more fluidly
• Continued performance gains, particularly for complex stacked operations
• Full deprecation of the legacy Boolean Compound objects in 3ds Max
• Updated boolean systems across other Autodesk M&E tools