Has anyone here used Zbrush?

[tysontabs]

Hello all, In the next month, I will be purchasing my new MacPro computer and I would like to know if anyone has had experience using Pixologic's Zbrush software with OS 10.5. If anyone has used this software suite, what do you think of it, does it run well with your mac or on OS 10.5, do you prefer it over Autodesk's Mudbox package?

I run Maya 8.5 U and find that the demo version of Zbrush is very handy, I am considering getting it but before I do, I'll like to know more about it.

Thanks!

 

[Jim Campbell]

Hello all, In the next month, I will be purchasing my new MacPro computer and I would like to know if anyone has had experience using Pixologic's Zbrush software with OS 10.5. If anyone has used this software suite, what do you think of it, does it run well with your mac or on OS 10.5, do you prefer it over Autodesk's Mudbox package?

I run Maya 8.5 U and find that the demo version of Zbrush is very handy, I am considering getting it but before I do, I'll like to know more about it.

Thanks!

Last time I checked, ZBrush 3 was still Windows-only with Pixologic's site recommending Mac users to run it under Boot Camp, with a proper Mac version promised but no definite date offered.

I've had a play with ZBrush 2.5 for Mac and it's, umm, idiosyncratic. Great results when you know what you're doing, but getting to that point is something of a challenge.

Cheers

Jim

 

[MacFanJeff]

tysontabs -

Yes, I have and know some ZBrush 3.1 but not sure what you really want to know. Basically, it is a VERY good program for digital artists like myself to create their own 3D models with focus on meshes, textures, etc. It is a VERY complex program and you will certainly need to know something about 3D modeling before jumping to a program this advanced. I use it mainly for doing some custom Poser characters by importing the base V4 mesh and then sculpting the face the way I want. This program is also VERY powerful in the right hands and can be used for just about anything you can dream of in terms of 3D model creation.

If you don't already know are just starting with 3D tools then I would recommend starting out with something more like Poser, learn it well (it will take at least a year or so) then check out ZBrush as it will make a lot more sense then. If you want to learn, there are several tutorials on the site and some DVD/CDs as well. Just do a google search.

The Mac version for Leopard is not out yet but due sometime this year. You can buy the Mac version and they will give you a temporary license for the 3.1 Windows version to use in Boot Camp on Mac then a FREE update to the 3.1 version for Mac when they release it.

If you are SERIOUS about 3D modeling you will need a VERY good Mac Pro and at least 4+GB of RAM and a 1TB drive. Good luck.

 

[Jim Campbell]

Move along. Nothing to see here.

 

[tysontabs]

Thank you for your input, I'll be buying a base package MacPro next month, I will be upgrading it myself with third party components as I don't want to pay thousands of dollars for ram that would cost me five-hundred for just-as-good stuff. I have a good knowledge of Maya 8.5 and I have found that for what I would like to do, Zbrush would work very well for me. I would like to create my own bi-pedal and quadra-pedal movie monsters and Zbrush looks like it's the best solution for that. I would like to animate some of them later, that’s where Maya will fall in.

I have been on Zbrush Central almost every other day, learning new things and looking at submitted work. I have to say that what I have seen is inspiring.

Tysontabs

 

[Pigumon]

Hi Tyson,

Just saw your post about zbrush, have you purchased your new system and installed Zbrush?

I have Zbrush 3.1 running on Parallels on a MAC MINI and it STILL runs great. The guys who make this program really know something about good, efficient programs.

If you haven't already, get Zbrush. They offer a cross-platform license in the sense that, if you buy it now for windows, you can transfer that license to your mac when the mac version comes out.

Also, i was suprised by Campbell's answer, Zbrush have always been a very artist-friendly 3D app as opposed to most other 3D apps, and I don't see what Poser has to do with using Zbrush. They are really completely different apps. Zbrush is for creating, Poser is for posing and rendering (badly). You already have Maya which works really well with Zbrush. I'm using MODO because it's a more intuitive 3D app (though nowhere near as powerful as MAYA), not for people who are already familiar with typical 3D apps. It also has one of the BEST renderers built-in.

 

[Mac Kiwi]

Zbrush is a great app.Do not hold your breath waiting for Autodesk to do a Mac Mudbox version,they are notoriously un - Mac friendly.


I am using Zbrush 2.0.3 on a Mac Pro - dual quad with 16g ram,it runs fine under rosetta that is.It Takes a bit of teething to get it using Rosetta,but I am constantly using 1mil plus sub d levels.I can not wait for 3.1 and HD sub d mind you



From what I can gather it looks like Z3 was almost ready for the Mac,then there was the change from carbon.I am guessing they chose to port it over rather then release it as carbon.



Oh its absolutely awesome for chars and some really tasty displacement maps.I am hoping we also get Zmapper which is designed for getting the most out of your normal maps.


As long as you get your UV nice and clean before export to Zbrush you will be fine.

 

[Jim Campbell]

Also, i was suprised by Campbell's answer, Zbrush have always been a very artist-friendly 3D app as opposed to most other 3D apps ...

The interface for Zbrush 2.5 is as I said my previous post, very idiosyncratic - it obeys almost none of Apple's standard Human Interface Guidelines and many functions are not immediately obvious.

(F'r instance: I want to import an .obj mesh that I've exported from another 3D app. The fact that I have to load it under the tool menu is not the most obvious of places to look for this function.)

However, I agree completely that the package executes the sculpting metaphor very well, and that this is, indeed, far more artist-friendly than most other apps' approach to subdivision modelling, empowering imagination over mathematical ability.

None of this detracts from my original statement, though, which is that the interface takes some getting used to.

... and I don't see what Poser has to do with using Zbrush. They are really completely different apps. Zbrush is for creating, Poser is for posing and rendering (badly).

I think you'll probably find that a lot of people export basic figures from Poser and then work on them in Zbrush, since this takes a lot of the donkey work out of getting an anatomically correct figure before starting to work on the interesting stuff.

Cheers!

Jim