ZBrush 4R7 Review
ZBrush 4R7 is created by artists, for artists. Maarten Verhoeven, one of the beta testers on ZBrush 4R7, checks out the latest release from Pixologic to see how it fares
ZBrush 4R7 is created by artists, for artists. Maarten Verhoeven, one of the beta testers on ZBrush 4R7, checks out the latest release from Pixologic to see how it fares
New features:
-ZModeler
-Surface instancing and geometric array with NanoMesh and ArrayMesh
-ZRemesher 2.0
-64-bit
-Bridge to KeyShot (available on purchase for $149 USD)
For more information on the general features updated in ZBrush 4R7, check out the Features Overview on the Pixologic website.
As a daily ZBrush user I often think: How can Pixologic make this wonderful program even better? And with every release they seem to amaze me! Being fortunate enough to have been on several beta groups for Pixologic in the past, Ive been frequently shocked by the new things they've shown us on a regular basis. I have only a fragmented idea what the impact is of the whole package, but Im sure its big! ZBrush 4R7 is created by artists, for artists.
With the release of ZBrush 4R7 we have been given a lot of new and useful features, helping us, as artists, to go even further in creating digital art. The biggest new improvement in ZBrush is that we are able to venture more in-depth into hard-surface modeling. This is now all possible thanks to the new ZModeler tool; this new feature in ZBrsush can be found under the Brush pallet. Its now bringing box modeling into a sculpting program - with all the benefits of creating low-poly meshes, with connecting, bridging, and extruding faces. You can also easily cut holes and add polyloops with soft and or hard edges.
Great add-ons that help in generating extra random details are the NanoMesh and ArrayMesh tool, which are sort of insert mesh brushes on steroids
With this new workflow you can quickly select the parts you want to adjust, giving you the possibility to select between a polygon, Polygroup, and an area border. This new feature really shows off its power with the new Dynamic Subdivision system. This new system gives a preview of your work in a real-time fashion when you go up in the dynamic subdivisions. The engine shows your model with Quick Grid, Flat Subdivision, and Smooth Subdivisions, showing you a preview on your high-res model to create real-time bevel effects on your model or simply view a smooth surface aspect. Before taking it to the next step, you have the possibility of previewing or skipping back in subdivisions before going even further into applying your changes.
Other great add-ons that help in generating extra random details are the NanoMesh and ArrayMesh tool, which are sort of insert mesh brushes on steroids. These give you the possibility to add small presculpted details and objects on preselected surfaces, and it shows the added details in real-time. These NanoMeshes are all instances of the original mesh and, in this way, you can easily adjust the scale, offset, angle, or alignment, or adjust the base mesh on which you apply this NanoMesh.
The ArrayMesh will take this all a step further, giving you the possibility to adjust your master instance object, and these changes will be applied to the entire instance object in the ArrayMesh or stack different ArrayMeshes onto one another. Simply put: when you adjust one screw on a robot, all the screws in this ArrayMesh will be adjusted.
Taking your sculpted hard-surface model from DynaMesh to a clean and neat basemesh has never been easier!
For retopolizing your base mesh in ZBrush, either sculpted or hard-surface, the new ZRemesher 2.0 is also very welcome. It now remeshes your objects without spiraling, and recognizes the hard-edge lines that are used in hard-surface modeling. All in all, taking your sculpted hard-surface model from DynaMesh to a clean and neat basemesh has never been easier!
The features I've mentioned in this review are, for me as an artist, the biggest changers in ZBrush use on a daily basis
The Bridge between Bridge and KeyShot works nice and fast, putting your creations with textures and materials from one program to another. And even when you update you model in ZBrush you can send the adjustments to KeyShot, updating your geometry or details.
This comes as a warm welcome for ZBrush users when they want to render their highly detailed sculpts in all their glory with this render engine! And now you are rendering the actual polygons, and no extracted maps, by pressing
one button!
And finally, there's the greatly anticipated 64-bit version release version. This runs a lot faster and smoother, and its fully operational. Keep in mind this is a developer preview and there will be an official release with the next version. But this will give you a good idea what the possibilities are when you want to push the limits of your system.
The features I've mentioned in this review are, for me as an artist, the biggest changers in ZBrush use on a daily basis. But there are a lot more fantastic smaller features that you can find described on the Pixologic site. I love how Pixologic works for artists, enriching our pallet time and time again with new and useful tools; they're really breaking the mold and taking it further, filling the small gaps each and every time. I cant wait until the next release that will be officially a new version: ZBrush 5 64-bit. Outstanding will become even better!
Score (out of 5): 5 out of 5
ZBrush 4R7 is available now. Check out the full system requirements.
Price: ZBrush 4R7 - Single User License $795 USD (free upgrade available from previous versions)
Educational license (if available): Available upon request
Related links:
Maarten Verhoeven's personal website
Check out the official Pixologic site, the home of ZBrush
Discover interesting projects on the Pixologic blog
Join the ZBrush Community on ZBrushCentral
Watch free tutorials in the ZClassroom
Follow Pixologic on YouTube
Learn ZBrush with 3dtotal's ZBrush Characters and Creatures book
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