Challenge 2: Using Cycles by Default for Quick Preview Renders — Solution Walkthrough

The answer:

Per this chapter's own warning box, this is exactly the mistake it
describes — assuming Cycles must simply be the "better" render engine
since it's more physically accurate, and defaulting to it for
everything regardless of the actual situation. The student is using
Cycles' considerably longer render times for quick previews that don't
actually need that level of accuracy at all.

Why this slows the workflow down unnecessarily:

Basic object placement checks don't require physically accurate
reflections or realistic light bouncing — a rough, fast preview is all
that's genuinely needed at this stage. Cycles' own accuracy adds real
time cost here without adding any real value to work that's still
being roughly blocked out.

What a better approach looks like:

Per this chapter's own material, switching to Eevee for these quick,
iterative previews would let the student check placement changes
almost instantly, reserving Cycles specifically for later, more
polished output once physical accuracy actually starts to matter for
the final result.

WHY THIS WORKS AS AN ANSWER
------------------------------
This exercise checks that using Cycles as a default for all renders is
correctly identified as an inefficient habit, with Eevee recognized as
the better fit for quick, iterative preview work.