Elaine Gould suggests arranging percussion instruments in an orchestral score by assigning them to players. We can accomplish this in Dorico by adding a percussion kit to a group.
Switching between methods on a score is not a good idea. While it may work in some cases, using groups for some players and a single staff for others isn’t always a reliable solution.
For me, the second example isn’t well-written, even though you often see it done that way. Especially if you have to sight-read it, I don’t find it ideal. In my opinion, rhythms should always be written like the third example—that’s the correct notation for me. It doesn’t make sense to me to write a sixteenth note followed by a sixteenth rest. I’d write that as an eighth note. If the eighth note specifically needs to be short, I’d indicate that with a staccato marking. Ultimately, it’s always a matter of interpretation anyway, and you can—or even should—briefly clarify it. I hope I haven’t misunderstood your question.
I found a solution to this problem by using a grid instead of a single-line layout. By using the same voice for multiple instruments, I’m able to beam the notes together, while using different voices splits the beams. I also edited the gap between the grid lines to mimic single-line instruments. The example show voice colors:
