Latest Software Review: Zbrush

Zbrush works with most file formats, but tends to favor the obj. when not running a Zbrush file (ztl.) You can also move your characters and stamp patterns, logos and textures on the surfaces that will be intact upon export. The piece in the pictures took me approximately 1 hour, from start to finish and without any sort of hassle from system or app.

The amount of detail one can work into their piece is spell- binding and as finite as you can imagine. You are able to move up and down the level hierarchy in order to access the various levels of resolution with the click of your mouse as well as work up greater detail from lower tiers to affect a greater result higher up. There also a great many materials to be used as well, and being able to bake them onto your models allows for some pretty spectacular results when painting your textures. Yes, Zbrush allows you to model your digital clay, paint the surfaces with color, color and material or just material in an additive or subtractive mode.

There are few programs as fluid as Zbrush, with as much power for such little expenditure of system resources. Running on a proprietary engine of Pixologics making, the software deals with “pixols” as opposed to pixels. Pixols carry more punch for their presence, such as the info on the size, shape, material, color and reflection/refraction of the material it represents. This allows your system to easily create images that contain an average poly count of 3 million without any drag. Having one of Pixologics foremost users of Zbrush (applause for Ryan Kingslien and a great thank you to Jaime) at the 1st Software Symposium was a great and eye opening experience.

Using this program is like , well wrestling with angels. Good looking angels too. You are bound by the laws of trouble free, serendipitous art creation to remain attached to the computer in true umbilical fashion in order to try just one more of the numerous brushes and sculpture tools found within the application.

There are 2 programs in this world that make me feel edgy and well, on edge with an anxiety ridden energy stemming from all of the things I have yet to try out in these programs. One is Pixologics Zbrush and the other is ***** ********. The latter shall be introduced next issue. Zbrush is about as organic as it gets when modeling in the digital medium. You have blobs, cubes, spheres, planes etc. as starting blocks, and one need only an idea and a curiosity to reach out and touch the voluminous red orb that sits and dares you to poke it, rake it, move it or even snake brush with or without symmetry turned on.