Smoothing issue

Support Modeling
#1

Hi all,

I’m new to blender, started about 2 weeks ago and am modelling a large aircraft model fuselage at the moment. I’m quite happy with the results but seeing as in the long run I plan on 3D printing this thing, I would like to know how to smooth out the rough edges.
If you look at the fuselage you can clearly see flat faces. At the very top they measure 3 cms which would look really ugly in real life. I know that I can subdivide the faces in order to get a higher resolution but if I just do that it will divide the face, but leave it flat… Is there a way of subdividing them and getting them to create an angle without having to do it manually? I’ve watched many youtube videos that explain how to smooth an object, but that was just to give an artificial that how no real impact on the actual object.

Thanks in advance!

Smoothing problem
Smoothing problem1243×1061 121 KB

#2
  1. In the Object menu, click ‘shade smooth’ this is just shading, not geometry
  2. In the modifiers tab, (the wrench icon) add a Subdivision modifier and set view and render to 2
#3

Thanks for the help!

#4

Plus subdivision shouldn’t leave anything ‘flat’, you will however distort the windows of the cockpit and they would have to be reworked. Like was said, smoothing is a render trick and your model will be faceted at print time, so subdivision and then applying the subdivision will smooth it out a bit more. Some slicers can smooth geometry as well before print time.

#5

Thanks mate. I didn’t know that some slicers smoothed out the rough edges. I’ll look into that.

#6

One thing to note here. That you will have to preview the models in some special 3D printing software in order to make sure it looks good.

As for example that face-smooth option is a trick used by the graphics cards. I am not sure that 3D printers can do the same, you will have to double check and then decide to increase polygons.