I'm making this shape which is just a cylinder with a curve modifier on it.
I can't seem to figure out why you can see the subtle bends in the cylinder. I've rendered it multiple times with varying subdivision render levels, and I've even tried increasing the number of loop cuts from 100 all the way to 400+, and I can still see those bends/vertices/loop cuts.
I must be overlooking something. Can anyone help me out? I'll post my .blend in a moment.
edit: I'll note that I did apply shade smooth and autosmooth normals, and the problem persists. I currently have the subd render level to 3.