Translations:Modding:Content Tutorial Item Variants/33/en
From Vintage Story Wiki
Evidently, this method uses considerably less code, however it does have some drawbacks. Variant substitution can only be used in properties that accept strings, usually limiting it's functionality to textures, shapes, and sounds. As well as this, it offers less customizability of what textures you can use, as they would all have to be located in specific file paths.
