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.
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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.
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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.
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