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enter image description hereI have created a ring by making a flat cylinder and then boolean-ing out a smaller, flat cylinder from the inside. I have long since applied the boolean (including from several other cutouts as can be seen). I have also extruded some details as can be seen near the front of the ring in the picture. This is for a 3D printing project and when I first created those cylinders long ago I thought this would be enough facets, but now I have found that once it is printed, the facets can still be seen in the model.

I have tried the smoothing tool, several different smoothing modifiers, subdivisions, etc. Most smoothing efforts seem to smooth everything on the model, but I want to keep the crisp edges on the XY plane (top and bottom of the ring) and smooth the edges to make a finer cylinder (more on the Z plane). How do I smooth just what is selected here to make a cleaner arc and not anything else?

EDIT: Here is an image of the full model. enter image description here

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  • $\begingroup$ Ah, I didn't know this panel existed. When I check the mark (set at 30 degrees) it doesn't do anything. When I change the number of degrees it still doesn't do anything. $\endgroup$
    – Benjamin Hale
    Commented Aug 25, 2022 at 18:18
  • $\begingroup$ please share your file: blend-exchange.com $\endgroup$
    – moonboots
    Commented Aug 25, 2022 at 18:36
  • $\begingroup$ @moonboots That won’t help them. It’s supposed to be 3-D printed, and that’s a shading effect. $\endgroup$
    – TheLabCat
    Commented Aug 25, 2022 at 18:45
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    $\begingroup$ @TheLabCat oops my bad it's the "smooth" word that confused me $\endgroup$
    – moonboots
    Commented Aug 25, 2022 at 19:16

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In order to make the facets not visible in a 3-D print, you basically need to add more facets, until the angles between them are small enough to be indiscernible. Using smooth tools on existing geometry will not help you here, since angles between sides of an equilateral and equiangular polygon such as a computer “circle” (usually a 24-gon or a 32-gon) already have the minimal angles between them for that number of sides.

You may not be able to modify the existing geometry to have more side facets but still be equiangular and thus get a smoother appearance, but I recommend you start with subdividing the ring edges, and then possibly trying Mesh -> Transform -> To Sphere on one coplanar ring at a time.

This looks like it’s going to be a part of something. Is it really that important that the facets not be visible? Even James Burton‘s robots have visible facets.

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    $\begingroup$ Very good suggestions. I will try this and see what I can come up with. However, you probably are right in that it's not super important.... It's probably just the perfectionistic side of me shining through. 😅 It does assuage those feelings of mine knowing that professionals leave facets like that, though. The full project is a game piece, modeling a 2D drawing. I added an image of the full model. $\endgroup$
    – Benjamin Hale
    Commented Aug 25, 2022 at 19:59
  • $\begingroup$ @BenjaminHale OK, now I wanna play that game. $\endgroup$
    – TheLabCat
    Commented Aug 26, 2022 at 0:22
  • $\begingroup$ It's a pretty great one. 😁 killerbunnies.com/jupiter $\endgroup$
    – Benjamin Hale
    Commented Aug 26, 2022 at 18:19

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