ZBrush

ZBrush is one of the most advanced 3D sculpting and digital painting tools available for Windows. Using a unique "pixol" technology that integrates information about an object's color, material, and depth, Maxon ZBrush artists may effortlessly achieve extraordinary feats of design using procedures that are very closely linked with real-world sculpting. 

In addition to free-flowing 3D sculpting, which can handle both rough models and highly detailed micro details, it has a complete range of tools for creating advanced 2D art. Because it can handle high-frequency details and models with up to 1 billion polygons, it is commonly used for extracting detail from normal maps metadata textures, which can add 3D features to low poly versions of the same model.

ZBrush 2024 improves several aspects of your workflow, with an emphasis on exciting new features that encourage discovery and inspire creativity. 

Built from the bottom up to encourage creativity and a natural painting style, it has expanded significantly over the years, becoming one of the most popular modeling tools for personal users, students, professionals, and huge enterprises. Today, ZBrush 2024 is widely used in film/VFX projects, video games, graphics, advertising, scientific visualization, 3D printing, automotive and industrial design, jewelry design, education, and many more fields. 

The app's free version is a 45-day trial that includes a fully unlocked toolset used by professional users to create masterpieces. The only limitation is that it cannot be utilized commercially or for profit. 

Features & Highlights

• A full-featured 3D sculpting program that is utilized for both personal and professional purposes worldwide. 
• A powerful combination of tools and functions that will help you with your creative work. 
• Create models with up to one billion polygons. 
• Extensive rendering support, both realistic and non-realistic. 
• To enhance details, project texture data into the sculpt surface. 
• Modify sculpts with a wide range of tools. 
• An efficient folder structure will help you organize and manage your project. 
• Make use of the improved Universal Camera. 
• Customize your brushes. 
• Support for a large variety of plug-ins. 
• Available with a wide range of Windows operating systems (2000, 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11). 

Installation and Use 

Because ZBrush has undergone numerous revisions and redesigns since its initial release in 1999, the most recent version of this program includes a fairly large installer bundle. To access the program after it has been downloaded to your local storage, simply follow the on-screen instructions. After finishing the installation, you will be able to launch the app. Please keep in mind that you will need to create an account and authenticate your local copy upon installation and the first boot, otherwise the software will be unable to activate its 45-day free trial function. 

When you launch the program, you will be greeted with the beautiful dark UI that has become a signature of this renowned 3D sculpting tool. It, like many other 3D modeling editors, has a layout design and a huge tool set that will be difficult for total beginners to navigate. You will need to devote a large amount of time and effort to discovering all of the potential benefits of the tools and services provided by this software. As a result, the application is frequently included in the curriculum in many design schools, alongside other competing fully-featured 3D modeling editors. 

What’s New 

It is widely regarded as the best digital sculpting program available today. Its most recent edition adds an improved Anchors Brush system, which transforms mesh manipulation by smoothly adding anchors for precise deformations and actions. Knife Brushes now have increased design freedom thanks to the Split to Parts function, which allows for the retention of cut-off pieces. The integration of Insert Mesh brushes with Stroke menu options provides up a plethora of artistic possibilities. 

The Repeat to Similar tool makes it easier to create detailed surface details and include additional parts into models. The new DragStamp stroke option improves surface detailing, while Crease UnMasked and Uncrease UnMasked provide dynamic edge control. 

Both the Gizmo and Transpose functions support topology masking, with the added benefit of snapping to perfectly masked areas. The Gizmo now has the ability to snap to the center of masked sections, and the addition of Cinema 4D noises expands asset detailing options. ZBrush enables a wide range of workflows and limitless creative possibilities.

New Features

• ANCHOR BRUSH
• GIZMO/TRANSPOSE MASKING
• C4D NOISES
• REPEAT TO SIMILAR
• GROW/SHRINK MASK
• KNIFE BRUSH SPLIT TO PARTS
• DRAGSTAMP
• CREASE UNMASKED/UNCREASE UNMASKED
• BASE MESH CREATION
• DYNAMIC SCULPTING BRUSH SYSTEM
• SCULPTURAL FREEDOM
• POLYGON MODELING OPTIONS
• REMESHING OPTIONS
• FLEXIBLE WORKFLOWS
• POLYPAINT
• UV MASTER
• SPOTLIGHT
• ADVANCED FEATURES
• REDSHIFT
• BPR
• LIGHTCAP® SYSTEM
• MAP GENERATION
• CUSTOM MATERIALS
• FILE FORMATS
• UNIVERSAL CAMERA
• INTEROPERABILITY

Specifications Requirements

• OS: 64-bit editions of Windows 10 or 11.
• CPU: Intel 64-bit CPU or AMD 64-bit CPU with AVX2.
• RAM: 16 GB for working with multi-million poly models (32+ GB preferred.)
• HDD: 100 GB of free hard drive space for Maxon ZBrush and its scratch disk. (SSD drive highly recommended.)
• Pen Tablet: Compatible pressure sensitive tablet from Wacom, XPen, XenceLabs, Huion or other compatible pressure sensitive tablets. (Must support WinTab API.)
• Monitor: 1920x1080 monitor resolution or higher with 32-bit color.
• Video card: Must support OpenGL 3.3 or higher and Vulkan 1.1 or higher.

PROS

• Powerful sculpting and modeling capabilities.
• Intuitive interface for artists.
• Extensive toolset for digital sculpting, painting, and texturing.
• High-resolution detailing.
• Integration with other 3D software.

CONS

• Steep learning curve, especially for beginners.
• Resource-intensive, requires a powerful computer.
• Limited animation capabilities.
• Expensive compared to some other 3D software options.
• Some users find the interface overwhelming at first.