Ideas Born in Clay.
ZBrush is the 3D industry’s standard digital sculpting application. Use customizable brushes to shape, texture, and paint virtual clay, while getting instant feedback. Work with the same tools used by film studios, game developers and artists the world over.
Dynamesh is ZBrush’s digital clay. It rebuilds the topology of your model as you sculpt, creating a smooth, even surface for you to add fine details. Step between different resolutions of your model, and changes on any level will be applied to each one. This enables you to create complex models, but still be able to make big changes when you need to.
If you’re a concept artist or illustrator, you’ll find that ZBrush bridges the gap between 2D and 3D. Compose 2D images where you can make real-time changes, while maintaining accurate lighting and depth. Paint models with pixel-by-pixel control using customizable brushes. Use GoZ to create complex textures in PhotoShop and see them applied to your scene as you work.
These are just a few of the unique and powerful features you’ll love about ZBrush.
ZBrush 4R8 continues our tradition of creating digital sculpting tools that enable an artist to design with immediate response, even with digital sculptures that have vast amounts of detail. The list of new features in ZBrush 4R8 expand upon the digital sculpting workflow within ZBrush. Many new features will provide increased freedom while designing, foremost of which are Live Boolean and Vector Displacement Mesh.
ZBrush 4R8 introduces multi-language support, as well as many other enhancements such as a new transformation tool, the Gizmo 3D and a new text generator that will allow the artist to create text and logos with real-time adjustments. And these are only the beginning!
Live Boolean
For all their power, Boolean systems have historically required a lot of trial and error before finally getting a satisfying result. With Live Boolean, artists gain the ability to combine multiple sculptures together and see in real-time what the resulting mesh will look like. Any model can be subtracted from another, regardless of their polygon counts. You can even use Live Boolean with the existing instancing systems in ZBrush such as NanoMesh and ArrayMesh. While Live Boolean is active, you can even sculpt on your models while previewing the Boolean results. All of these options can be combined together to provide new sculpting workflows that are unique to ZBrush.
*Render is an example of the ArrayMesh instance copy system being used in conjunction with Live Boolean.
Real-Time Preview
Live Boolean is also excellent for creating hard surface models. Live Boolean makes it possible for you to preview any addition and subtraction operations between your source models, allowing adjustments to be made on the fly.
There is no guesswork, since you are able to dynamically see the end result before committing to the operation. You can adjust any part on a mesh and see it instantly impact the model. It’s 100% interactive, non-destructive and works with any sculpt.
*Above animation is an example of Live Boolean handling multiple SubTools in real-time.
Using Live Boolean for 3D Printing
Live Boolean is perfect for creating models for manufacturing, toy design, product design, collectibles, and more. Use any sculpt to create articulated joints, keys for 3D printing, hollowing, or even to create molds for production.
*Render is an example of creating a toy’s articulated knee joint with Live Boolean.
Converting Your Live Booleans
The Live Boolean function is not only a preview system inside ZBrush but can also be converted to true geometry to allow export for use in other applications.
When it comes time to finalize a Live Boolean creation, simply click a single button and the Live Boolean process will be converted to geometry. The structure of your models will change as little as possible, with topology changes only taking place where the source models connect to each other. Even with models that are comprised of several million polygons, the result can be generated in just a few seconds.
Model courtesy of Nacho Reisco. The above render illustrates boolean operations on a multi-million polygon sculpt. Rendered in Keyshot.
Vector Displacement Mesh Feature
Expand your Alpha arsenal with a new library of Vector Displacement Meshes (VDM). These are 3D sculpts used as brush building blocks that will allow undercutting when drawing on a model’s surface. As an example, you can draw a nose complete with nostrils in a single brush stroke. Or an ear with complete front and back sides. Or a bent finger, scales with a raised angle or even an open mouth. All of this without lost depth or detail.
Vector Displacement Mesh creates real overhangs as you sculpt. Push the details of your model with precise placement on sculpts with millions of polygons.
*Render is an example of Vector Displacement Meshes being drawn on a surface.
