ZBrush 2020 has now been released. Please see this topic for upgrade instructions.

ZBrush 2020 empowers artists with greater sculpting flexibility via powerful additions to the award winning brush system as well as significant enhancements in a number of other systems. Here are the highlights:

New Brushes

We have expanded the library of sculpting brushes with the new XTractor, HistoryRecall and DecoCurve brushes. In addition, you can now constrain your brush strokes to only forward gestures with the new No Back&Forth modifier.

XTractor Brushes

These three brushes convert detail from your model into a new alpha or texture for future reuse. Simply drag your stroke across the surface of any model to capture the details of your sculpt. The captured details can then be used elsewhere on the same model, or on any other model in the future.



HistoryRecall

Have you ever wished you could undo just a portion of your sculpting without losing everything else that has been done on the model? Now you can! This brush uses your model’s Undo History but restricts the effect to the area where the brush is used. It can also be used in the other direction, projecting Redo History from part of one model to another regardless of any topology differences.



Sculpt & Paint in Morph UV

We’ve expanded the capabilities of the Morph UV feature, which makes it possible to view the unwrapped UV layout of a model within ZBrush. Sculpt & Paint in Morph UV allows you to work on the 2D unwrap of a model, applying all updates to the 3D model.



Move Infinite Depth

Alter your brush to apply details to anything that is directly inline with the brush cursor. For, example, add volume to the front and hind legs of a dog or move several vertex points on multiple individual meshes without applying a mask. The Infinite Depth option can be applied to several brushes.



Texture Adjust Color/PolyPaint Adjust Color

Now you can take any PolyPainted or textured model and adjust its color hue, intensity, contrast, gamma or tint on the fly. These new features also allow you to restrict their effects to specific color selections and even use color picking to mask or unmask portions of the model.



Pre-Print Analysis Features

ZBrush 2020 continues to widen your ability to 3D print directly from ZBrush with new mesh analysis features. Now anyone will be able to easily prepare a model for production!

Wall Thickness

With this feature ZBrush uses PolyPaint to provide a visual representation of what portions of a mesh could benefit from additional thickness before sending off for use with a 3D printer, CNC machine or any other rapid prototyping method. Set your preferred minimum and maximum thickness values, then click the button. Now use the color data to make any adjustments before clicking again to re-evaluate those changes.



Real-Time Draft Analysis

The new From Draft and Real-Time From Draft options give you a fluid approach to preparing models for many specialized manufacturing options such as two-part molding or CNC printing. Use the camera plane to set your draft pull direction, then make real-time adjustments to your model to ensure a successful production pipeline. The real-time draft analysis can even be applied as PolyPaint or a mask for additional options including saving the result as a texture map.



Calculate Surface Area

With the click of a button, ZBrush can now provide you with the bounding box size, mesh volume and surface area. At the same time, it will check for watertight integrity. All of this will not only help ensure a successful print but can also assist you in accurately estimating the amount of real-world material that your project will need.

CamView

You will now always know the orientation of your model relative to the world axis, providing an accurate understanding of your XYZ space and offering an interchangeable one-click navigation view. Switch between front/back, top/bottom and left/right views for any model by just clicking on icons within the CamView. You can even create your own unique custom CamView for yourself or to share with others.



Real-Time Silhouette View

Sometimes you just need to look at your model from a fresh perspective, making sure that it works on a foundational level. With the new Real-Time Silhouette View you’ll be able to evaluate the overall shape of the model in a small window or see how it “reads” from a distance while still being able to edit the same model with fully painted and sculpted details in the main document space.



ZeeZoo

Mannequins are essentially ZSphere armatures. The way that you interact with them allows for easy posing so that you can more easily explore your ideas – faster. The ZSphere Mannequins can readily be edited to fit any character or creature you need. Create an entire scene in just a few clicks! ZBrush 2020 expands the Mannequin system with a Zoo – a wide selection of animals to help you find just the right pose for single or multi-character models.

Deco Curve Brush

The classic 2.5D Deco Brush is now in 3D. Stretch your texture and alpha along a curve as you sculpt and paint your models.

Model Paint Fade Opacity

If a model’s PolyPaint or texture is making it hard for you to see the sculpted details you can now partially fade the color – or even hide it altogether.

No Back & Forth

Define your brush to apply details only on forward movements, creating a unique sculpting technique that builds upon all previous strokes. Combined with the LazyMouse Backtrack option, you can apply strokes of the exact same length over one another without ever lifting your pen or releasing the mouse button.

New Import/Export Options Window

Easier control when importing or exporting and support for even more formats, all in one place.

Preview the new features

See the new features in action at pixologic.com/features, where we have videos showing many of these new features at work. Also be sure to watch our special streaming broadcasts hosted by the Pixologic Wizards: Paul Gaboury, Solomon Blair and Joseph Drust. These will be shown on ZBrushLIVE at 11:00 am PST on November 7, 14 and 21.

Availability

ZBrush 2020 has now been released. Please see this topic for upgrade instructions.

From now until December 4th, 2019, purchase a ZBrush perpetual license at a special price of only $795 USD. New subscriptions are also on sale, receiving $10 off the first term of a 30 day subscription or $40 off the first term on a six-month subscription. (After the initial term, subscriptions will rebill at the regular price.)

ZBrushCore users can also upgrade to ZBrush during this time at a special rate, receiving an extra $50 off the upgrade price. ZBrushCore upgrades will therefore be $745 USD.