Modeling unit threshold for plotting 3d view of submerged edge line as silhouette; or intersection; or nothing

I’ve depicted the following change in edge display characteristics by zooming into the project’s display, which offers a clue I can’t decipher about how to adjust units and overlaps to print them as I need. I imagine this all relates to the absolute modelling tolerance, (which is .001 inches but making it ten and then a hundred times smaller had little effect. And I’m not sure what effect tolerance changing would have on other aspects - joinery in particular - of the modelling in this project.) The rivets are 1" wide and 1/8" deep. The other members are 1/2" thick.

Below: The edges of the rivets (which are part of a block including the lower piece) plot as silhouette lines even though they’re submerged (microscopically) inside the upper piece. I probably need to bury them deeper.
PLotted

I want it to print like the Below (silhouette-thickened lines on the top of the rivet, thinner intersection lines where they intersect the upper piece.) I realize that boolean uniting them with the surface they’re applied to could solve this, but they’re part of a block including the other object below.:

Below: I realize that if I submerge them too far the angle of intersection is too oblique to be recognized as an intersection, and it’ll look like this. (And the rivets will display as too small in diameter.

Can adjusting tolerances fix this to print as I need, or is the only solution to remodel all the rivets to extend into the object as far as required? (Which will make any cross section views going through rivers show incorrectly.)