Is there a reason to not subdivide surface and then model? i feel like it's easier because you can see step by step how your model is affected by the geometry you create
Hi Samuela PPozzopiccolo ,
That'll be personal preference; if you find it easier to model with Subsurf on, then by all means, go for it.
It can be sort of rewarding to model unsubdivided and then at some point turn on the Subdivision Surface Modifier and see the thing being transformed, instead of having it on all the time and miss out on the 'surprise'...
I don't think one way is better than the other, but for a beginner, it might indeed be easier to have the Subsurf on all the time. With experience, you laready know how to model for Subdiv and where to place your holding Edges and so. Also, you won't get distracted by all the extra visual info (like disabling a Bevel Modifier in Edit Mode, while modeling)
I find it easier to build the base model, get all my loops to flow correctly, try to get all quads and then add the SubD. But I don't like to take too long, because I may find that some part isn't working when I add the SubD. So I add it intuitively when I feel the time has come, and then I turn it off and on repeatedly as I work to see how it's looking. Because the model can get too soft when holding edges aren't in place still and things can look too droopy.
For subsurface, it's not too bad... MOST of the time. But with modifiers, generally, you want to see what the model is looking like before the modfier because you can start getting some strange results because it's not behaving like you're expecting and it's usually because the underlying base geometry isn't necessarily where you think it should be because you were modeling with the modifiers on. If you have any modifier on and it's not behaving like you're expecting, try turning off the modifier and make sure your geometry is where you think it should be. If you do that, you should be okay most of the time.