Boolean limitations

• The legacy boolean algorithm does not support:
  • non-manifold meshes

    See Two-manifold vs. non-manifold polygonal geometry.

  • meshes with zero area faces or zero length edges
    Tip: The legacy boolean algorithm automatically checks for and removes very small faces and edges via the Use Thresholds attribute. If parts of your mesh disappear or are extracted from the original geometry after you perform a boolean operation, adjust the Use Thresholds settings.
  • UV sets

    UV sets disappear during the boolean operation.

  • border edges at the intersection of the boolean operation
    Tip: You can display border edges by selecting Display > Polygons > Border Edges.
  • creased components

    Crease data disappears during the boolean operation.

  • open meshes
    Tip: Before performing a boolean operation, use Mesh > Fill Hole to fill any openings in the original objects.
• The normals on the meshes must consistently point outwards on the volumes.

  You can view the normals on a mesh using Display > Polygons > Face Normals. You can reverse face normals using Mesh Display > Reverse.

• Maya can run out of memory if boolean operations are performed many times on large polygonal objects.

  To avoid running out of memory, reduce the Undo Queue in the Undo preferences.

Related topics

• Booleans
• Combine polygon meshes
• Edit the original objects after a boolean operation