diff --git a/source/blender/io/ply/exporter/ply_export_load_plydata.cc b/source/blender/io/ply/exporter/ply_export_load_plydata.cc
index 570ffd755c6..b00101bfe35 100644
--- a/source/blender/io/ply/exporter/ply_export_load_plydata.cc
+++ b/source/blender/io/ply/exporter/ply_export_load_plydata.cc
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ void load_plydata(PlyData &plyData, Depsgraph *depsgraph, const PLYExportParams
                      BKE_object_get_pre_modified_mesh(&export_object_eval_);
 
     bool force_triangulation = false;
-    const OffsetIndices faces = mesh->faces();
+    OffsetIndices faces = mesh->faces();
     for (const int i : faces.index_range()) {
       if (faces[i].size() > 255) {
         force_triangulation = true;
@@ -186,6 +186,7 @@ void load_plydata(PlyData &plyData, Depsgraph *depsgraph, const PLYExportParams
     bool manually_free_mesh = false;
     if (export_params.export_triangulated_mesh || force_triangulation) {
       mesh = do_triangulation(mesh, export_params.export_triangulated_mesh);
+      faces = mesh->faces();
       manually_free_mesh = true;
     }