Hard edges and 3D printing?

Joltya

So I just got a project that involves 3d printing. I've never had to model for a print before, it's kind of a weird shape so I was thinking about how I would create the rounded edges for the piece, but on second thought, I'm not even sure if I need to.

So, do I need to use edgeloops for something I'm going to print? And are there any other things I should keep in mind about modeling for printing?

Thanks in advance!

cadgonegames

Prior experience with 3d printing was using STL files exported from max, and essentially what you see is what you get. I've never had to add any supporting Geo.

JohnnyRaptor

hmm, not sure if i get you right, but a 3d printer will print the actual geometry of an object, so normalmaps or normalsmoothing etc isnt represented. That means if you want a rounded border, you will have to model it as such.

Fisty

think he means turbo smooth ?

cadgonegames

Yeah it won't automatically smooth your edges just by doing loops if that's what he was referring to , you need to actually make the rounded edges.

Joltya

Yes, thank you cadgonegames. That's what I was asking. And thank you for the answer.

cryrid

What kind of printer are you using? I find plastic extruders often don't lay down sharp looking edges due to the thickness of the plastic, so depending on the scale of the print you might not have to worry about smaller rounded edges.