Why does a 3D model sometimes look faceted instead of smooth?

[indiancad]

Have you ever created a curved 3D model that looked smooth while working on it, but the edges appeared faceted or rough?

 

The geometry may be correct. The display can be affected by the visual style and object smoothness settings.

 

For curved solids, I first check the visual style and use SMOOTHMESHCONVERT or the appropriate smoothness tools when working with mesh-based geometry. For solid models, changing the display quality can also make a noticeable difference without changing the actual model.

 

This is one of those cases where the model isn't necessarily wrong—the way it is displayed can make it look wrong.

 

Have you ever mistaken a display issue for a modelling problem? What did you check first?