Curious if adding resolution to my model via SUbD will print at the same resolution when exporting to a STL. In other words, if I smooth my model, will the STL maintain this resolution?
STL is a “dumb” triangulated format so every face you create is replicated in the export. Smoothing is ignored.
I guess a follow up question would be, does SUbD add faces to the model to create smoothing? And if so, by your definition above, would the resolution hold?
Yes, and yes.
Yes, you can subdivide your parts 4 times with subd and then export to stl.
Depending on your quadfaced proxy mesh and the iteration of subd you get a smoother mesh.
Perhaps at the root of the question is that SubD works by adding actual geometry to the model, not just by some visual illusion of smoothness.
