diff --git a/source/blender/blenkernel/intern/DerivedMesh.cc b/source/blender/blenkernel/intern/DerivedMesh.cc
index 07b6b0f22ed..05a2018a2f5 100644
--- a/source/blender/blenkernel/intern/DerivedMesh.cc
+++ b/source/blender/blenkernel/intern/DerivedMesh.cc
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 #include "BLI_math_geom.h"
 #include "BLI_math_matrix.h"
 #include "BLI_math_vector_types.hh"
+#include "BLI_span.hh"
 #include "BLI_task.h"
 #include "BLI_task.hh"
 #include "BLI_utildefines.h"
@@ -71,6 +72,7 @@
 
 using blender::float3;
 using blender::IndexRange;
+using blender::MutableSpan;
 using blender::Span;
 using blender::VArray;
 using blender::bke::GeometryOwnershipType;
@@ -400,47 +402,51 @@ static Mesh *create_orco_mesh(Object *ob, Mesh *me, BMEditMesh *em, int layer)
   return mesh;
 }
 
+static MutableSpan<float3> orco_coord_layer_ensure(Mesh *mesh, const eCustomDataType layer)
+{
+  void *data = CustomData_get_layer_for_write(&mesh->vert_data, layer, mesh->totvert);
+  if (!data) {
+    data = CustomData_add_layer(&mesh->vert_data, layer, CD_CONSTRUCT, mesh->totvert);
+  }
+  return MutableSpan(reinterpret_cast<float3 *>(data), mesh->totvert);
+}
+
 static void add_orco_mesh(
     Object *ob, BMEditMesh *em, Mesh *mesh, Mesh *mesh_orco, const eCustomDataType layer)
 {
-  float(*orco)[3], (*layerorco)[3];
-  int totvert, free;
-
-  totvert = mesh->totvert;
+  const int totvert = mesh->totvert;
 
+  MutableSpan<float3> layer_orco;
   if (mesh_orco) {
-    free = 1;
+    layer_orco = orco_coord_layer_ensure(mesh, layer);
 
     if (mesh_orco->totvert == totvert) {
-      orco = BKE_mesh_vert_coords_alloc(mesh_orco, nullptr);
+      layer_orco.copy_from(mesh_orco->vert_positions());
     }
     else {
-      orco = BKE_mesh_vert_coords_alloc(mesh, nullptr);
+      layer_orco.copy_from(mesh->vert_positions());
     }
   }
   else {
     /* TODO(sybren): totvert should potentially change here, as ob->data
      * or em may have a different number of vertices than dm. */
-    orco = get_orco_coords(ob, em, layer, &free);
-  }
-
-  if (orco) {
-    if (layer == CD_ORCO) {
-      BKE_mesh_orco_verts_transform((Mesh *)ob->data, orco, totvert, 0);
+    int free = 0;
+    float(*orco)[3] = get_orco_coords(ob, em, layer, &free);
+    if (orco) {
+      layer_orco = orco_coord_layer_ensure(mesh, layer);
+      layer_orco.copy_from(Span<float3>(reinterpret_cast<float3 *>(orco), totvert));
     }
-
-    layerorco = (float(*)[3])CustomData_get_layer_for_write(
-        &mesh->vert_data, layer, mesh->totvert);
-    if (!layerorco) {
-      layerorco = (float(*)[3])CustomData_add_layer(
-          &mesh->vert_data, eCustomDataType(layer), CD_SET_DEFAULT, mesh->totvert);
-    }
-
-    memcpy(layerorco, orco, sizeof(float[3]) * totvert);
     if (free) {
       MEM_freeN(orco);
     }
   }
+
+  if (!layer_orco.is_empty()) {
+    if (layer == CD_ORCO) {
+      BKE_mesh_orco_verts_transform(
+          (Mesh *)ob->data, reinterpret_cast<float(*)[3]>(layer_orco.data()), totvert, 0);
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 static bool mesh_has_modifier_final_normals(const Mesh *mesh_input,
@@ -1129,7 +1135,7 @@ static void editbmesh_calc_modifier_final_normals_or_defer(
   editbmesh_calc_modifier_final_normals(mesh_final, final_datamask);
 }
 
-static blender::MutableSpan<float3> mesh_wrapper_vert_coords_ensure_for_write(Mesh *mesh)
+static MutableSpan<float3> mesh_wrapper_vert_coords_ensure_for_write(Mesh *mesh)
 {
   switch (mesh->runtime->wrapper_type) {
     case ME_WRAPPER_TYPE_BMESH:
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/object/object_modifier.cc b/source/blender/editors/object/object_modifier.cc
index b86c37c1401..b14594ba5da 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/object/object_modifier.cc
+++ b/source/blender/editors/object/object_modifier.cc
@@ -779,8 +779,9 @@ static Mesh *create_applied_mesh_for_modifier(Depsgraph *depsgraph,
 
   Mesh *mesh_temp = reinterpret_cast<Mesh *>(
       BKE_id_copy_ex(nullptr, &me->id, nullptr, LIB_ID_COPY_LOCALIZE));
-  int numVerts = 0;
-  float(*deformedVerts)[3] = nullptr;
+  const int numVerts = mesh_temp->totvert;
+  float(*deformedVerts)[3] = reinterpret_cast<float(*)[3]>(
+      mesh_temp->vert_positions_for_write().data());
 
   if (use_virtual_modifiers) {
     VirtualModifierData virtual_modifier_data;
@@ -799,31 +800,21 @@ static Mesh *create_applied_mesh_for_modifier(Depsgraph *depsgraph,
         continue;
       }
 
-      if (deformedVerts == nullptr) {
-        deformedVerts = BKE_mesh_vert_coords_alloc(me, &numVerts);
-      }
       mti_virt->deform_verts(md_eval_virt, &mectx, mesh_temp, deformedVerts, numVerts);
     }
   }
 
   Mesh *result = nullptr;
   if (mti->type == eModifierTypeType_OnlyDeform) {
-    if (deformedVerts == nullptr) {
-      deformedVerts = BKE_mesh_vert_coords_alloc(me, &numVerts);
-    }
     result = mesh_temp;
     mti->deform_verts(md_eval, &mectx, result, deformedVerts, numVerts);
-    BKE_mesh_vert_coords_apply(result, deformedVerts);
+    BKE_mesh_tag_positions_changed(result);
 
     if (build_shapekey_layers) {
       add_shapekey_layers(*result, *me);
     }
   }
   else {
-    if (deformedVerts != nullptr) {
-      BKE_mesh_vert_coords_apply(mesh_temp, deformedVerts);
-    }
-
     if (build_shapekey_layers) {
       add_shapekey_layers(*mesh_temp, *me);
     }
@@ -846,10 +837,6 @@ static Mesh *create_applied_mesh_for_modifier(Depsgraph *depsgraph,
     }
   }
 
-  if (deformedVerts != nullptr) {
-    MEM_freeN(deformedVerts);
-  }
-
   return result;
 }
 
diff --git a/source/blender/modifiers/intern/MOD_uvproject.cc b/source/blender/modifiers/intern/MOD_uvproject.cc
index b60bee7241f..1c8aa2db953 100644
--- a/source/blender/modifiers/intern/MOD_uvproject.cc
+++ b/source/blender/modifiers/intern/MOD_uvproject.cc
@@ -98,8 +98,6 @@ static Mesh *uvprojectModifier_do(UVProjectModifierData *umd,
                                   Mesh *mesh)
 {
   using namespace blender;
-  float(*coords)[3], (*co)[3];
-  int i, verts_num;
   Projector projectors[MOD_UVPROJECT_MAXPROJECTORS];
   int projectors_num = 0;
   char uvname[MAX_CUSTOMDATA_LAYER_NAME];
@@ -109,7 +107,7 @@ static Mesh *uvprojectModifier_do(UVProjectModifierData *umd,
   float scay = umd->scaley ? umd->scaley : 1.0f;
   int free_uci = 0;
 
-  for (i = 0; i < umd->projectors_num; i++) {
+  for (int i = 0; i < umd->projectors_num; i++) {
     if (umd->projectors[i] != nullptr) {
       projectors[projectors_num++].ob = umd->projectors[i];
     }
@@ -128,7 +126,7 @@ static Mesh *uvprojectModifier_do(UVProjectModifierData *umd,
   CustomData_validate_layer_name(&mesh->loop_data, CD_PROP_FLOAT2, umd->uvlayer_name, uvname);
 
   /* calculate a projection matrix and normal for each projector */
-  for (i = 0; i < projectors_num; i++) {
+  for (int i = 0; i < projectors_num; i++) {
     float tmpmat[4][4];
     float offsetmat[4][4];
     Camera *cam = nullptr;
@@ -182,30 +180,30 @@ static Mesh *uvprojectModifier_do(UVProjectModifierData *umd,
     mul_mat3_m4_v3(projectors[i].ob->object_to_world, projectors[i].normal);
   }
 
-  const blender::Span<blender::float3> positions = mesh->vert_positions();
-  const blender::OffsetIndices faces = mesh->faces();
+  const Span<float3> positions = mesh->vert_positions();
+  const OffsetIndices faces = mesh->faces();
   const Span<int> corner_verts = mesh->corner_verts();
 
   float(*mloop_uv)[2] = static_cast<float(*)[2]>(CustomData_get_layer_named_for_write(
       &mesh->loop_data, CD_PROP_FLOAT2, uvname, corner_verts.size()));
 
-  coords = BKE_mesh_vert_coords_alloc(mesh, &verts_num);
+  Array<float3> coords(positions.size());
 
   /* Convert coords to world-space. */
-  for (i = 0, co = coords; i < verts_num; i++, co++) {
-    mul_m4_v3(ob->object_to_world, *co);
+  for (int64_t i = 0; i < positions.size(); i++) {
+    mul_v3_m4v3(coords[i], ob->object_to_world, positions[i]);
   }
 
   /* if only one projector, project coords to UVs */
   if (projectors_num == 1 && projectors[0].uci == nullptr) {
-    for (i = 0, co = coords; i < verts_num; i++, co++) {
-      mul_project_m4_v3(projectors[0].projmat, *co);
+    for (int64_t i = 0; i < coords.size(); i++) {
+      mul_project_m4_v3(projectors[0].projmat, coords[i]);
     }
   }
 
   /* apply coords as UVs */
   for (const int i : faces.index_range()) {
-    const blender::IndexRange face = faces[i];
+    const IndexRange face = faces[i];
     if (projectors_num == 1) {
       if (projectors[0].uci) {
         for (const int corner : face) {
@@ -229,8 +227,8 @@ static Mesh *uvprojectModifier_do(UVProjectModifierData *umd,
       float best_dot;
 
       /* get the untransformed face normal */
-      const blender::float3 face_no = blender::bke::mesh::face_normal_calc(
-          positions, corner_verts.slice(face));
+      const float3 face_no = blender::bke::mesh::face_normal_calc(positions,
+                                                                  corner_verts.slice(face));
 
       /* find the projector which the face points at most directly
        * (projector normal with largest dot product is best)
@@ -262,8 +260,6 @@ static Mesh *uvprojectModifier_do(UVProjectModifierData *umd,
     }
   }
 
-  MEM_freeN(coords);
-
   if (free_uci) {
     int j;
     for (j = 0; j < projectors_num; j++) {