ZBrush is arguably the most advanced 3D sculpting software in the market. Being the first software to allow digital sculpting with a graphics tablet, ZBrush has become the industry standard in computer-aided design (CAD). It comes complete with all features you need for texturing, coloring, animation, and rendering.
Using ZBrush is like working with a digital version of clay: you can manipulate the virtual clay by pulling, pushing, and shaping it much like real-world materials. This flexibility allows you to create highly detailed and organic models, often more efficiently than with other programs like Autodesk Maya or 3ds Max. While the software already features a large array of tools, its capabilities can be further enhanced with third-party plugins.
ZBrush is the leading 3D sculpting software, used in professional film and video game studios. To just name a few examples, it has been used for movies like “Star Trek,” “The Lord of the Rings,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” as well as games like “God of War” and “Assassin’s Creed.”
MacBook users will be glad to hear that ZBrush is not overly demanding on the hardware. The program relies on the CPU rather than the GPU for processing polygons and pixols and recent versions come with native support for M1 and M2 chips in newer MacBook Pros, which obviously makes ZBrush some of the best digital art software for Mac.
While ZBrush is a paid software, it’s relatively affordable compared to other programs with that range of features. A single-user license costs US$895, but there’s also a subscription plan for either US$39.95 per month or US$179.95 every six months. In any case, the company offers a generous 45-day free trial to see whether you like working with the program and want to commit.
Much like Photoshop, ZBrush is a super-complex program, with thousands of tools and features. In their ZClassroom, the company provides extensive free resources to help users learn the software, including a helpful beginner’s guide. However, considering the complexity of the program, I strongly suggest taking a guided approach for the fastest learning progress. The Udemy course below will do a great job: