ZBrush 2019 Whats New

®
ZBRUSH
ZBrush 2019.1 What’s New Guide
Welcome
Welcome to the What’s New documentation for ZBrush® 2019.1. While much of
ZBrush® 2019.1 is very similar to other previous releases, there are quite a few new
features to help make your ZBrushing even more productive and creative. We hope that
the information you find here helps you understand the differences between this release
and previous versions of ZBrush®.
This document only covers what’s new in version 2019.1. To learn more about the
features introduced in previous releases of ZBrush®, we invite you to read the other
ZBrush® What’s New Guides, located in your ZBrush installation’s Documentation folder.
You’re invited to visit our ZClassroom for a huge database of free high quality movies
explaining all the main features of ZBrush®. Here you will also find the Artists Spotlight,
where famous 3D Artists explain how they use ZBrush®, helping inspire you to create
like the pros.
Don’t forget to subscribe for free to our ZBrushCentral community to discover tips,
view artists’ creations, locate useful help for all things related to ZBrush® or post your
works-in-progress!
We encourage you to regularly visit our ZBrush® Blog as well as our social media
outlets where you will find all the news related to the ZBrush® universe, from the most
recent Interview to new plugins or gallery additions.
ZClassRoom Portal: http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/
Artist Spotlight: http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/artistspotlight/
ZBrushCentral: http://www.zbrushcentral.com/
ZBlog: http://www.pixologic.com/blog/
Pixologic.com: http://www.pixologic.com
Pixologic Social Media: Facebook - Google+ - Twitter - Pinterest
The Pixologic Team
© 2019 Pixologic, Inc. All rights reserved, Pixologic and the Pixologic logo, ZBrush, and the
ZBrush logo are registered trademarks of Pixologic, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.
Mac OS X & Windows Version of ZBrush®
Instead of the Windows Ctrl key, the Macintosh uses the Command (Apple) Key. This
documentation will always refer to using the Ctrl key name, although it may sometimes
list both as Ctrl/Command. When the Ctrl key is mentioned anywhere in the documenta-
tion a Macintosh user will want to use the Command key instead.
The same is true for the Windows Enter key, which the Macintosh calls Return. When
seeing the Enter key mentioned anywhere in this documentation, a Mac user will want to
use the Return key instead.
The Close/Quit, Hide, Minimize and Maximize buttons are located on the top right in
Windows and at the top left on Mac OS X.
ZBrush Localization
ZBrush is available in multiple languages and will attempt to automatically set its lan-
guage to match that of your operating system, if available. You can change the language
at any time in the Preferences >> Languages sub-palette.
We are truly thankful for the efforts of our translators. For this task we decided to
enlist ZBrush users as only they can fully understand ZBrush terminology, its methods of
working and philosophy. We hope you appreciate their hard (and often tedious) work to
bring ZBrush to their languages.
If you wish to translate ZBrush for your language, please refer to the Multilanguage
section of the ZBrush User Guide and contact thomas@pixologic.com.
Thanks to:
• Chinese: Zhelong Xu
• French: Thomas Roussel
• German: Oliver Milas
• Japanese: Daisuke Narukawa with the help of Katsuhito Fukagawa and
MAATEE.
• Korean: Insun Kwon
• Spanish: Victor Marin - Invictus Designs
ZBrush Documentation Guide - version 1.00

This documentation has been written by Thomas Roussel and edited by Joseph Drust, Matthew Yetter.
For all documentation questions and inquiries, please contact us at documentation@pixologic.com.

ZBrush 2019 - About
About ZBrush® 2019.1
ZBrush sets the industry standard for digital sculpting. Its features enable you to use
customizable brushes to shape, texture and paint virtual clay in a real-time environment.
When you use ZBrush, you’ll be working with the same tools used by film studios, game
developers, toy/collectible makers, jewelry designers, automotive/aviation designers, il-
lustrators and artists worldwide.
ZBrush 2019.1 continues in the path of creativity and productivity with major new
features allowing artists to work even faster, especially focusing on creating hard-surface
and mechanical shapes with greater ease. While working, or as a final during creation
you will be able to produce stunning nonrealistic rendering with instant feedback. ZBrush
2019.1 also helps you to be more efficient with its new Folders organization system,
it’s rewritten automatic retopology tool, and a new camera system. Your art will change
forever.
ZBrush Artist: Zhelong Xu
4
ZBrush 2019 - About
1. Non-Photorealistic Rendering (NPR)
See your 3D artwork in a whole new way with the new NPR system. Give that final
3D sculpt a hand drawn 2D style and even take your sculpted creations into the pages of
a comic book. With the ability to add overlaying textures, apply a halftone printed paper
style, draw a dark outline around the 3D model or apply a number of built-in presets, the
new NPR system will open up an entire world of artistic possibilities.
2. Spotlight v2.0 with Snapshot3D
Spotlight v1.0 gave artists the capability to project any texture’s color information
onto a sculpted surface as PolyPaint. It also allowed the very same textures to be applied
to the surface of any model as sculptural details.
Spotlight v2.0 includes all the original features and also makes it possible to convert
any gray-scale image (alpha) into a 3D model. The source images can be modified or
combined through Boolean-type addition or subtraction to create even more complex 3D
shapes. The model generated by this system can serve as a base for sculpting or even
be used with our Live Boolean system to create intricate works of art.
3. ZRemesher v3.0
Our automatic retopology toolset has been a key component in the modern ZBrush
artist’s workflow. It now goes to the next level with ZRemesher v3.0. The enhanced sys-
tems can maintain creased edges and automatically detect sharp surface angles, ideal
for mechanical models. The result is also a more efficient final polygon count… with an
increase in speed!
4. SubTool Folders
Speed up your productivity with the efficient new Folder System. Far more than an
organizational tool, this feature also makes it possible to apply actions to all contained
meshes at once such as Move, Scale, Rotate, Duplicate, Delete, Hide/Show PolyPaint,
Live Boolean and more.
5. Universal Camera
The camera system is upgraded in ZBrush 2019.1. Artists can now precisely match
the focal length of imported photographs and 3D renders. It is also now possible to
export or import the ZBrush camera settings for use in any 3D application, opening the
path of rich 2D composited illustrations, using the powerful ZBrush BPR or NPR renderer
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ZBrush 2019 - About
mixed with other 3D rendering solutions such as KeyShot.
The ZBrush Universal Camera offers complete control over the Focal Length, Crop
Factor and more. It supports undo and redo of camera movements. There is even stor-
age of various camera settings, making it easier than ever to find that perfect final com-
position.
6. Intersection Masker
The Intersection Masker plugin allows you to generate a Mask where geometry
islands intersect on a selected SubTool. It’s the perfect solution for creating complex
masks with just a few clicks.
7. ZColor
The ZColor plugin is your new color manager for any digital painting tasks. It fea-
tures a set palette of colors, chosen to best express the mood you wish to create and
allowing for consistent results. ZColor files can also be shared with others, helping teams
to create a cohesive look across projects.
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ZBrush 2019 - Table of Content
TABLE OF CONTENT
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ZBRUSH 2019 WHAT’S NEW GUIDE 1

1. Non-Photorealistic Rendering (NPR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2. Spotlight v2.0 with Snapshot3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3. ZRemesher v3.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4. SubTool Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5. Universal Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
6. Intersection Masker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
7. ZColor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
TABLE OF CONTENT 7
INSTALLATION UPGRADING & ACTIVATION 12
I System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
II Installation and Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
III Upgrading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
IV Auto Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1. Auto Update In Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
V Un-installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
VI Support Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
VII Backward Compatibility of ZBrush Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
NON PHOTO REALISTIC RENDERING (NPR) 21
I Realtime NPR with Cell Shading and Outline Look . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

II Flat Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
III Working with BPR Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
IV Saving and Loading Render Settings, Including BPR Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
V Freezing Render Settings and BPR Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
VI BPR Filters Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
VII NPR/BPR Filters List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Displace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Render Composite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Texture Overlay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
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Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Screendots: Pixel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Screentone: Square and Dots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Screentone: Vertical and Horizontal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Overpaint Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
OverPaint Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Vignetting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Flat Shading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Outline Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Outline Cavity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Drop Shadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Material Shading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
VIII Added Modulators for BRP Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Mask Border . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Mask Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Mask Softness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
RGB Color Swatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
RGB Intensity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Gray Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
SPOTLIGHT V2.0 WITH SNAPSHOT3D 42
I Snapshot3D Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
II Snapshot3D Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
III Snapshot3D Alphas and Image Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
IV Snapshot3D in Action: a Simple Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
V Snapshot3D in Action: Creating a Complex Alpha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
VI Painting and Deforming Alphas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
VII SpotLight v2.0 Snap Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
IX SpotLight v2.0 and Snapshot3D Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Quick Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Flip and Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Extend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Tile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Background Opacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
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ZREMESHER V3 61
I Legacy Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
II Hard Surfaces with ZRemesher V3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
III ZRemesher V3 Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Legacy (2018) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Keep Creases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Detect Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
SUBTOOLS FOLDERS 66
I Create SubTool Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

1. Creating a Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
2. Creating a Folder Based on a Multi-SubTool Selection . . . . . . . . . . . 68
II SubTool Folder Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
III SubTool Folders and Content Manipulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
IV SubTool Folders and Regular SubTool Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
V SubTool Folder Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
VI SubTool Folder Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
New Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
SubTool Folder Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Visible Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Folder Action: TransPose Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Folder Action: TransPose Add and Sub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Folder Action: Duplicate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Folder Action: Merge Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Folder Action: Hide/Show PolyPaint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Folder Action: Boolean Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Folder Action: Boolean DSubDiv . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Folder Action: Merge Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Folder Action: Rename Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Folder Action: Delete Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Folder Action: Delete All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
UNIVERSAL CAMERA 76
I Enabling / Disabling the Universal Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

II Auto Crop mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
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III Importing/Exporting Camera - KeyShot Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

IV Working with Multiple Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
V Locking the Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
VI Camera Settings and Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Camera Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Horizontal / Vertical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Focal Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Focal Length Presets (18, 24, 28, 35, 50 and 85mm) . . . . . . . . . 82
Field of View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Crop Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Undo / Redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Lock Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Select Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Store Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Rename . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Next / Previous Camera (Left / Right Arrows) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
AC Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
OTHER ADDITIONS 84
Document Split Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Screensaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Smooth Brush: New Tangent Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
FBX Export/Import Plugin: Multiple Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
GoZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Tool >> SubTool >> Visible Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Tool >> Deformation >> Repeat to Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Render >> BPR RenderPass >> Composite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Preferences >> Interface >> UI >> Show SubTools Folders . . . . 86
Preferences >> Import Export >> Export Auto Cropping as Focal.86
Preferences >> Utilities >> CTRL/ALT/Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Preferences >> IColors >> Drag and Drop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
THANK YOU! 88
11
ZBrush 2019 - Installation and Activation
INSTALLATION
UPGRADING &
ACTIVATION
All the steps you need to install or upgrade ZBrush, as well as to leverage its activation system.
12
This is the useful information that you will need to know when installing and up-
grading ZBrush® on your computer. This chapter also describes the activation and de-
activation process. Understanding how the activation system works will help you avoid
difficulties should you upgrade your computer, reinstall your operating system, etc.
I System Requirements
Recommended:
• Operating System: Windows Vista or newer. Mac OS X 10.7 or newer. (32-bits

or 64-bits for either platform.)
• CPU: Pentium D or newer (or equivalent such as AMD Athlon 64 X2 or newer)
with optional multithreading or hyperthreading capabilities.
• 6 GB recommended.
• Disk Space: 750 MB for ZBrush, plus 16 GB for the scratch disk.
• Pen tablet: Wacom or Wacom compatible.
Notes:
The scratch disk may be a different drive from where ZBrush is installed.
Having ZBrush and its scratch disk running on an SSD drive will result in improved perfor-
mance.
Minimum System Requirements:
• Operating System: Windows Vista or newer. Mac OS X 10.7 or newer. (32-bits

or 64-bits for either platform.)
• CPU: P4 or AMD Opteron or Athlon64 Processor. (Must have SSE2 -- Stream-
ing SIMD Extensions 2. All CPU’s from 2006 or later support SSE2.)
• RAM: 1024 MB (2048 MB required for working with multi-million-poly models).
• Disk Space: 750 MB for ZBrush, plus 8 GB for the scratch disk.
• Monitor: 1280x1024 monitor resolution set to 32-bits or Millions of Colors.
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II Installation and Activation
ZBrush installation is based on an installer application, which is similar on both Win-

dows and Mac OSX operating systems.
After downloading the ZBrush installer you can run it to be guided through the activa-
tion process.
For all the information about the process of the installation and activation, please
read the “Install_and_activate_ZBrush.pdf” located in the ZBrush documentation fold-
er or available to download at our Download Center: http://zbru.sh/docs or visit our online
documentation website; http://zbru.sh/onlinedocs
It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you make a backup copy of the installer after
you have downloaded it. Download links are valid for two downloads or seven days,
whichever comes first. Our Support staff is happy to renew your download link at any
time but we also know from experience that people often need to reinstall on an evening
or weekend when there is nobody available to assist you.
Special notes for Mac users:
1. The download is a Disk Image (DMG) file which mounts to be like any other disk
on your computer. In some cases, a Finder window does not automatically open
after mounting the DMG. If that happens, you will find it within your Devices list.
Opening that will then allow you to run the installer itself.
2. Upon running the installer you may receive a message to the effect that it is from
an unknown publisher. In this case you will need to disable Gatekeeper before
you will be able to run the installer. Apple explains how to do this here: http://
support.apple.com/en-us/HT202491
14
III Upgrading
Depending on your current ZBrush version and what you need to upgrade to, there
are two upgrade paths available:
• Using a full installer to perform a “clean” install of a fresh new copy of ZBrush.
This does not require any earlier version to already be on your computer.
• Using an upgrader (downloaded from our Download Center or through the Auto
Upgrader system) which will duplicate your current ZBrush folder and then up-
grade the copy without affecting your current installation.
The full installer takes longer to download, but is greatly preferred. Using it avoids
any possible permissions issues. Also, if there are any problems with your current
ZBrush installation (even those you might not be aware of), an update will copy those
problems to the new installation! The full installer avoids that possibility. You will still be
able to manually copy any desired files from the old installation to the new one.
If you do wish to use the update process instead of the full installer, please read the
Auto Update chapter of this section.
15
IV Auto Update
ZBrush includes an Auto Update system which can check with the Pixologic® serv-
ers at your request to see if a new minor update is available.
This process is initiated manually and is voluntary. It is recommended that you run
it from time to time to see if a new update is available.
1. Auto Update In Action
The Auto Update is a separate application named ZUpgrader.exe (.app for Mac us-
ers), located at the root of your ZBrush folder.
This program can be executed by itself and when you wish to check for a new up-
date or upgrade. Make sure that ZBrush is closed, then simply double-click ZUpgrader
to run it.
An installer-like window will open. From there, simply follow the steps to check for
any available updates. The application will tell you whether or not something is available
for download.
• If no update is available, the software will automatically quit.

• If an update is available, the software will start the download. When the up-
date has finished downloading, it will be launched automatically and guide you
through the installation.
Auto Update in action.
The update installer is similar to the ZBrush full install process. Just follow the steps
to install the new components. The Auto Updater will automatically place all files in their
proper locations. When installation is finished the updater will close and you can launch
ZBrush to enjoy the new features or changes.
16
You will also find the update’s installer as a new program in the root of your ZBrush
folder. You can keep it for future use or simply delete it. We recommend that you keep
the most recent update and delete any older ones.
Note:
Each new update will include all items since the most recent ZBrush version release. This
means that if you’ve just installed ZBrush you will not need to download multiple updates – a
single download will be all that’s necessary to bring your installation up to date.
17
V Un-installation
This process completely removes ZBrush from your computer.
Un-installation process:
1. In the ZPlugin menu, choose Web Deactivation and proceed with license de-
activation as explained above. If you do not deactivate prior to un-installation,
the un-installed machine will continue to count against your serial number and
potentially prevent you from reactivating!
2. On Windows, use the Windows Control Panel uninstall utility and follow the
steps. On Mac OS X, simply move the Applications/ZBrush folder and the Us-
ers/Public/Pixologic folder to the Trash.
3. During the un-install process, depending on the Version of ZBrush you are us-
ing, the Uninstaller may ask you if you want to keep your GoZ files. Always
answer “Yes” if you are removing an older version of ZBrush after having up-
graded. If you answer “No”, GoZ won’t work anymore because most of its com-
ponents will be deleted by the un-install process.
4. After the un-installer has finished, check the location where ZBrush had been
installed. There will often be extra files which remain. You can delete those fold-
ers if you do not intend to use ZBrush on this computer again.
Note:
With the exception of GoZ and the various files in the ZBrushData shared/public folder, ZBrush
doesn’t write files outside its own directory.
18
VI Support Registration
It is required to have a current Support account at http://support.pixologic.

com in order to receive technical support for ZBrush. This account is free.
If your purchase was of ZBrush 4R5 or earlier, you won’t have a Support account un-
less you specifically created one yourself! Having activated an earlier version of ZBrush
is not the same as having a registered Support account. The Support system is an inde-
pendent platform. It does not use any existing log-ins that you might have for ZBrushCen-
tral, Cleverbridge or any other ZBrush-related sites.
Note:
Purchases of ZBrush 4R6 and later required having a Support account to be able to complete
the purchase or get your serial number. If your first version was ZBrush 4R6 or later, you will have
a Support account already and can skip this section.
If you have not already registered on the Support site:
1. Go to https://support.pixologic.com.
2. Click the Register icon.
3. Enter your email address and whatever password you would like to use for the
Support site. These will become your login info for the future.
4. Fill in your system information. We need this info in order to respond to your
support requests more efficiently.
5. Also provide your ZBrush 4x serial number for your copy of ZBrush. This infor-
mation identifies you as someone who has actually purchased a ZBrush license.
(If you have upgraded from an earlier version of ZBrush 4, your serial number
will remain unchanged. All versions of ZBrush 4x use the same serial number.)
6. After you submit the form you will receive a confirmation email at the address
you used to register. Follow the instructions in that email to complete your reg-
istration.
If you have already registered on the Support site:
You do not need to change any information.
At any time, you can go to https://support.pixologic.com to view your past tickets or

create a new one.
19
VII Backward Compatibility of ZBrush Files
ZBrush files are not backward compatible, which means that your files created with
the most recent version of ZBrush won’t be compatible with any older version.
For example, if you have a file that you’d been working on with ZBrush 2018 and
then save it using ZBrush 2019, you will no longer be able to open it in version 2018.
Different versions of ZBrush can be used together with GoZ due to the fact that its
main components have remained the same, but it’s not possible to work on the same
project between multiple versions of ZBrush at the same time. Once a file has been
created or saved in a newer version of ZBrush, it will not be able to be opened by any
earlier version.
GoZ cannot get around this restriction. It can be used to open files from earlier ver-
sions of ZBrush but it cannot be used to send files to an earlier version. The only way
to get a file into an earlier version of ZBrush than it was last saved in is through the OBJ
format.
20
ZBrush 2019 - Non Photo Realistic Rendering (NPR)
NON PHOTO REALISTIC RENDERING
(NPR)
2D render styles for your 3D models
21
See your 3D artwork in a whole new way with the NPR system in ZBrush. Give that
final 3D sculpt a hand drawn 2D style and even take your sculpted creations into the
pages of a comic book. With the ability to add overlaying textures, apply halftone effects,
draw dark outlines around the 3D model or apply any of several built-in presets, the new
NPR system will open up an entire world of artistic possibilities.
ZBrush artist: Vahid Ahmadi
22
I Realtime NPR with Cell Shading and Outline Look
ZBrush allows you to work with real-time materials that offer the ability to create and
work with a cell shading effect. With simple settings and curves manipulation, you can
produce a two or three tone shading for your regular materials and even add Flat Shad-
ows on top of that (see the next chapter).
First of all, you need to load a standard material, since the system is incompatible
with MatCap materials. SkinShade4 is a good option for this. Then open the Material >>
Modifier sub-palette and click on the Diffuse Curve to open it.
This is where the magic happens. If you click and drag the center dot out of the
editor and (without releasing) back into the curve editor again the dot will be transformed
from a curve transition to an angle transition.
Then click on the curve to add two extra dots. Follow the same steps as before to
change these new dots into angle transitions as well. Simply position them within the
curve editor to create a step pattern as shown in the screenshot below.
23
As you will notice, the diffuse color is now composed of two parts represented by
the two vertical lines in the curve editor. If you add more steps, you will add more steps
in your shading.
Now create a similar stairstep with the Specular curve located below the Diffuse
curve. You can also use the Copy/Paste functions located in the Curve editors.
At this stage you can tweak the curves to refine the effect. Changing the vertical
lines to slants will make the transition between each step less sharply defined. Chang-
ing the Focal Shift and the Strength sliders in the curve editor will alter the contrast or
intensity in the different steps.
24
Finally, you can add an outline to have a better perception of the silhouette and parts
of your model by going in the Mixer sub-palette, located below the Material Modifiers. In
this sub-palette you will find the Outline slider. Increasing its value and tweaking its depth
value will create a great outline effect. If you want to change the outline color, simply re-
turn to the Material Modifiers and click on the Cavity color patch to change it from black
to the color of your choice.
For the final touch, don’t forget to change your shadows to Flat and then perform
a BPR render. This will give a more refined result that is still very close to the real-time
display.
25
II Flat Shadows
To produce stylized renders, ZBrush provides flat type shadows as an alternative to

the classic gradient shadows. These flat shadows are monochromatic, providing a cell
shading style for your models.
Flat shadows can be used both in the real-time renderer while sculpting and at time
of final render.
To enable flat shadows during a BPR render, turn on the Render >> Render proper-
ties >> Flat Shadow mode. Shadows must of course be enabled to have access to this
setting.
For real-time flat shadows, enable the Render >> Preview Shadows >> Flat Shadow
mode. By default, the Vibrant Shadow mode located in the same sub-palette will also be
enabled. For a better NPR look you will most likely wish to disable this option.
On the left, flat shadows. On the right, regular shadows. Notice the shadow fading with regular
shadows.
26
III Working with BPR Filters
Most NPR rendering can only be done through BPR filters. These are real-time
effects applied to a BPR render, altering the image based on 2D and 3D information
extracted from the Project. It can be based on the depth, the boundaries of the models,
curvature, cavity, and much more.
Because these filters work with 3D data derived directly from the SubTools it is pos-
sible to achieve some effects which would be difficult to reproduce in a classic 2D editor
like Photoshop. And the beauty of doing such work in ZBrush is that you can quickly
change your point of view, load a different model, change the pose, etc. before instantly
reproducing the same render and effect.
BPR filters are easy to use. You simply need to click on the one you want to select
and then click on the white dot at its top corner to enable it. From there you can play with
the sliders or turn on additional effects in the filter list to immediately see the result.
You can enable multiple filters on top of each other. The filters will be stacked with F1
being the first one applied which is then modified by F2 being applied and so on.
Even the cell shading look and its outline described in the previous chapter can
actually be performed using only filters, without the need to modify material and mixer
settings.
At the top, the original render. Beneath, the same render with several filters applied.
We strongly advise you to read the BPR filters documentation in the ZBrush User
Guide PDF or in the online documentation.
27
IV Saving and Loading Render Settings, Including BPR Filters
When creating complex effects through BPR filters and render settings like shad-
ows, ambient occlusion and more, you may want to save these settings to reuse in future
projects or share with other artists.
The power of BPR filters: On top, the original render. At the bottom, the exact same render with a
preset loaded that includes several filters, some of which use 3D data from the original render and
model.
The entire Render palette with all its settings can be saved together as a single Ren-
derSet file preset. After saving you can then load this preset for other projects or to use
the settings as a foundation for new renders. You will find Load and Save buttons for this
purpose at the top of the Render palette.
28
The Load and Save functions at the top of the Render palette.
By default, RenderSet files save to where they can be easily accessed later through
the LightBox >> RenderSet tab.
If you have just performed a BPR render, double clicking on a RenderSet preset in
LightBox will rerun the render with the new settings.
It is also possible to save and load the current state of all BPR filters. In fact, saving
a BPR filter preset is the same as saving a RenderSet preset. The only difference is that
when loading a RenderSet file from the BPR Filter sub-palette, only the BPR filters part
of the file will be loaded. The same is true if you double-click the preset from the Filters
tab in LightBox.
ZBrush includes several sample RenderSet files, already in LightBox.
Don’t forget that BRP settings and filters take not only the model into account but
also the overall document image or background color. This means that when loading a
RenderSet file for your scene, the result may differ from what the thumbnail looks like.
This is also true of presets made for hard surface models which may not look the same
on an organic model and vice versa.
A series of presets in LightBox, ready to be used. Just double-click on the one of your choice to
load it.
29
V Freezing Render Settings and BPR Filters
When experimenting with renders, you may want to test the current settings with a
different Project (.ZPR file format) or simply load a variation of a scene in another Project
before performing the same render effect. However, whenever you load a Project file, all
ZBrush settings including those found in the Render palette will be overwritten by those
stored in the project.
To prevent a loaded project from changing your render settings or BPR filters, you
can use the Render >> Freeze or Render >> BPR Filters >> Freeze function. The one
you select with either protect all ren-der settings or only the BPR Filter settings.
Notes:
Saving and loading Tools (.ZTL files) has no effect on the render settings and/or BPR filters.
Saved Tools only include that specific model’s parameters from the Tool palette, with none from
other models or areas in the ZBrush UI.
It is always advised to save a new RenderSet file to keep your rendering settings, effects and
filters for a later usage.
VI BPR Filters Management
To make your experiments easier, it is possible to copy, paste, cut, and insert BPR
filters. Since ZBrush renders the result of each filter in order, it can be useful to change
the order or to insert new filters.
After copying or cutting a filter, select the one that you wish to follow it in the render
order. When you then insert the copied/cut filter, the selected one will be shifted to the
right and the inserted filter will take its former slot position. Other filters located after the
inserted one will of course also be shifted.
Obviously, cutting a filter will also shift the positions of all filters which had been
located after this removed filter.
The Reset Filter function will restore all settings for the current filter to their initial
values.
The filters Copy/Paste/Cut/Insert functions. Combined with the Load, Save and Freeze functions,
they offer full control over filter management.
30
VII NPR/BPR Filters List
The BPR filters listed below have been specifically added to help produce an NPR
render. They can of course be tweaked and combined with other filters to produce differ-
ent effects which may not be in an NPR style.
You can combine up to 12 filters together with each filter affecting the BPR in real
time. You can press and hold the Shift key while changing any slider parameters to see
the adjustment almost instantly. Please keep in mind that using the Shift key with a lot of
filters active may be slow on large renders.
Some BPR filters have specific settings beyond the usual main setting slider and its
associated opacity slider. These settings can be found in the Modifiers popup which will
be grayed out if the filter has no extra options. Different filters can have different numbers
of available modifiers. The Modifier popup is located below the Back and Front Color
selector which is also used by some filters to alter their color values.
The full list of BPR filters. Near the bottom of the list you’ll find most of the filters dedicated to NPR
rendering, although they can also be used for regular renders.
Displace
The Displace filter will create a noise-type deformation. The Displace slider will affect
how wide the noise is, meaning how many pixels are displaced from their original posi-
tion. The Radius modifier slider will affect the size of the noise itself.
Using a negative or positive value for the Displace slider will produce a similar effect,
31
but via a different algorithm. When searching for a specific style, don’t forget to try both
positive and negative values.
This filter is great for altering the outline edges of the model, creating a style that is
more like a pencil than computer graphics.
On the left, the original render. On the right, the Displace filter has been applied. Notice the lines
and shading deformations.
Render Composite
The Render Composite filter is a renamed version of the Texture Overlay filter from
earlier ZBrush versions. This filter has a texture modulator and when activated it will load
(and store) the current rendering with its filters. An example of where this is useful is to
blend the result of your current filter with another to create a composite render.
This filter can also be used to generate multiple renders of a model in different views.
You can save a first view then hide the render composite, changing the point of view
before doing a new render. At this point, reenabling the previous render composite will
blend both views together.
The Render Composite filter in action. Notice the render stored in the Texture modulator, which
can now be mixed with other filters.
32
Texture
The Texture Overlay filter will apply a selected image (from the Texture slot under the
Modifiers) on top of the current render.
This image can be scaled up and down through the Texture Overlay slider and modi-
fications can be applied in the Modifiers popup. For example, the Rotation of the texture
and the Orientations Count slider will change the orientation of the overlaid texture based
on the color intensity/shade of gray.
This power of this filter comes from the operators which will clip the texture in mul-
tiple ways, like applying the texture on only the shadow areas in your render or only to a
specific range of shades on the model.
The texture can be modified by using the Back and Front color swatches as well.
These colors will replace the texture or alpha color, based on the intensity of the alpha
or texture.
On the left, the original render. On the right, the Texture filter has been applied with an alpha as a
texture.
Texture Overlay
The Texture Overlay filter will apply a selected image (from the Texture slot under the
Modifiers) on top of the current render.
This filter is very similar to the Texture filter except that it analyzes the texture inten-
sity and then creates a bump effect based on the median intensity value. This filter will
therefore work best with greyscale images. It’s a great filter to simulate pencil effects in
your renders.
This filter uses the same settings as the Texture filter. Please refer to the section
above for more information.
33
The same scene as the Texture filter illustration, except that on the right, the Texture Overlay filter
has been used. Notice the difference in depth between each filter. Also, the Texture Overlay filter
will have a higher contrast result.
Restore
The Restore filter will bring back the original render without any previous filters being
applied. This makes it possible to reuse parts of the original rendering results without any
filters. You can apply this filter and clip the effect to only the cavities of the model or its
shadows, with the effect of restoring only those specific areas.
Screendots: Pixel
The Screendots: Pixel filter applies a dot-type noise on your render, with the dots
each being one pixel in size.
The positive and negative values of the filter will define whether the dominant color
is defined by the Back Color or Front Color value. This filter is great for adding noise
variations to a render.
Pixels has been added to the model on the right. It has been modulated with the Fresnel setting,
making the effect more apparent on the borders of the model and less on its font part.
34
Screentone: Square and Dots

The Screentone: Square and Dots filters use the render’s luminance value to create
a square or dot pattern. The darker the original image, the larger the squares or dots will
be.
The Modifiers alter this default behavior by allowing you to use a constant size,
change one of the colors or alter the effect’s transparency.
On the left, the original model followed by Screentone: Square and then Screentone: Dots applied,
each one with different settings.
Screentone: Vertical and Horizontal

The Screentone: Vertical and Horizontal filter functions the same way as the Square
and Dots version expect that it creates a lines pattern. By default, the thickness of the line
will be affected by the render’s luminance value.
Combining both Vertical and Horizontal filters can create a nice lattice pattern.
The two filters with different settings.
35
Overpaint Color
OverPaint Color is a filter which will create a square base pattern from your im-
age using the color intensity of each square. You can then apply multiple parameters to
change the size and orientation of the squares and add variations to make it look natural.
This filter can be used to make nice background patterns such as old paper.
On the left, the original model. In the center, the Overpaint Color filter with mostly default settings.
When modifying those settings as on the right, it can produce very interesting effects. In this case,
one Overpaint Color filter was used for the background and another for the head.
OverPaint Texture
The OverPaint Texture filter is the same as the Overpaint Color filter except that it will
overlay a texture on the square shapes. Both filters share the same parameters.
Vignetting
The Vignetting filter darkens the boundaries of the document. This effect is a very
popular way to place the visual focus on the model. By tweaking the modifiers of the filter
you will be able to change the center position, affect the softness of the effect and alter
its color.
On the right, the Vignetting filter in action.
36
Flat Shading
The Flat Shading filter produces a cell shading effect in your render. It can simulate
the stepped curve effect that you can manually create in Materials as explained in the
“Realtime NPR with Cell Shading and Outline Look” section above. This filter analyzes
your render colors and will crops them to produce a number of shades defined by the
same named slider in the Modifiers popup.
Editing the Exponent value shifts the spread of shades toward the darker or lighter
colors of the model.
The Minimum and Maximum Intensity sliders will trim the minimum and maximum
range for the model colors.
The Colorize modifier will add a color tint to your flat shading, using the colors lo-
cated in the Back and Front color pickers.
Two different models, organic and hard surface. Each is shown both without and with the Flat
Shading filter.
37
Outline Edge
The outline edge filter creates a line around the model’s silhouette and also any
shapes that are prominent from the camera angle. For example if we are rendering a
human face, a line will be added around the entire boundary and also (depending on the
camera angle) some parts of the nose.
The modifiers let you define cavity detection. Outside cavities are the default but
you can also change to inside cavity detection for the boundaries of internal extrusions.
You can add noise to the outline, making it less “computer generated,” and change
the Outline Falloff to modify the outline detection and affect its thickness.
The main slider will affect the color and intensity of the outline, based on the Back
and Front color swatches.
The same model with the Flat Shading filter except that on the right, the Outline Edge filter has
also been added which makes a strong visual difference in shape perception.
Outline Cavity
The Outline Cavity filter is designed to create an outline to the model similar to the
Outline Edge filter explained above, except that it uses a different detection algorithm and
so provides different Modifiers.
This filter is better than Outline Edge for detecting curvature of the surface on the
model.
The main slider affects the color and intensity of the outline, based on the Back and
Front color swatches.
38
Drop Shadow
The Drop Shadow filter creates a black copy of the current model which can be used
as a black shadow. However, the copied image is by default on top of the render rather
than behind. To create a true Drop Shadow, you need to use modulators such as Mask
at a value of -1 to apply this filter to everything except the model.
The Modifiers let you change the drop shadow position as well as flip it or changing
its saturation and intensity.
The Drop Shadow filter has been added on the model from the right. By default, the filter doesn’t
provide a blur setting, but a Sharpen filter with a negative value was applied to everything but the
model.
Material Shading
The Material Shading filter stores a material (which can include MatCaps) within the
filter which can be used to provide base color and shading to your filters. This means that
if you save your BPR filters through a RenderSet preset, you can be sure that your render
will look the same on other models which don’t even have the same materials as a base.
You need to click on the Texture selector below the Modifiers section to select the
material to use with your filter.
39
VIII Added Modulators for BRP Filters
Below the Filters slot you can find a series of operators which modulate the filters’
effect based on various properties coming from the 3D model, color information or ren-
dered elements like shadows.
Changing their values will allow you to control whether the filter result is part of an
element or discreet from it, such as having a filter affect only the render’s shadows. Of
course, it is possible to combine multiple modulators through the Mask modulator, such
as affecting only the shadows which fall on the model itself.
Mask Border
The Mask Border modulator adds a threshold to the current modulators, shifting
them outside or inside the limit of the current mask. It is very similar to a shrink or grow
of the current mask.
Mask Blur
If the Mask Border is set to a value other than 0 it will diffuse the edges of the current
modulators. This is perfect for making a softer transition between masked and unasked
areas of the render
Mask Softness
Mask Softness will make the transition area of the mask more or less soft.
Texture
The Texture selector is only enabled for some BPR filters. It lets you select an im-
age to be used by those filters. It is not used as a mask modulator, but rather as a filter
modulator.
Some filters will provide better results with alpha-type images (grayscale) or with
regular RGB textures.
RGB Color Swatch

The color chosen with this selector will be used as a modulator for a filter. In this way,
the filter can be applied only to that color in the render, based upon the Intensity, Hue and
Saturation sliders located next to the swatch.
40
If you click and drag from the Color swatch, the cursor will become a Picker with
which you can select any base (unshaded) color from your model, before any render or
filter affects are applied.
If you hold the ALT key while using the color picker it will instead pick the final,
shaded color that is seen on screen with any and all render effects applied.
RGB Intensity
The RGB Intensity slider modulates how strongly the color selected by the RGB
Color swatch is used, giving more freedom to the modulation of the effect, if desired. At
this slider’s maximum, the current filter will only be applied on the selected color.
The picked color can be modified or shifted by modifying the separate Intensity, Hue,
Saturation and Variation sliders.
Gray Range
The Gray Range modulator, composed of two color swatches and a slider, allows
you to define a gradient between these two colors. It can be used to trim some effects,
such as applying the filter only between the two selected colors. The Gray Range slider
will increase or decrease the threshold of these selected colors, changing how strictly the
modulator adheres to them..
41
ZBrush 2019 - SpotLight V2.0 with Snapshot3D
SPOTLIGHT V2.0 WITH SNAPSHOT3D
Model building with SpotLight V2.0 Alphas
42
SpotLight v1.0 gave artists the capability to project a texture’s color information onto
a sculpted surface as PolyPaint. It also allowed the same texture to be applied to the
surface as sculptural detail.
SpotLight v2.0 includes all the original features but also now makes it possible to
convert any gray-scale image or alpha to a 3D model. These source alpha images can
also be modified and combined through Boolean operations to create even more com-
plex 3D shapes. The model generated by this system can serve as a base for sculpting
or even be used with the Live Boolean system to create intricate works of art. This new
creation mode is named Snapshot3D.
This documentation is dedicated only to the additions found in SpotLight V2.0.

Please refer to the SpotLight V1.0 documentation found in the online documentation to
learn about original features.
An example model created only by using Snapshot3D and Live Boolean.

Model by Maarten Verhoeven
43
I Snapshot3D Concept
Snapshot3D in SpotLight takes any alpha loaded from the Alpha palette or a previ-
ously saved SpotLight preset and uses extrusion to generate a 3D model representing
this alpha. This model becomes a new SubTool.
A 3D model generated by Snapshot 3D on the left and on the right the source Alpha.
Because the alpha is loaded within SpotLight you can use the various SpotLight fea-
tures to alter and modify the image. These features allow you to perform basic operations
like rotation and scaling, along with more advanced functions such as tiling the image,
extending it, generating an outline and many other transformations. It is even possible to
use multiple alphas to create a more complex one by adding or subtracting them through
Boolean-type operations.
Generating a model from the selected alpha using Snapshot3D performs a union
function. By default, this action will generate a regular SubTool. However, if you hold the
ALT key while clicking the Union command, ZBrush will produce the new SubTool with
a Subtractive flag. It will then be considered as a negative SubTool by the Live Boolean
system.
44
On the left, the alpha controlled by the SpotLight widget will be snapshotted with the Alt key
pressed. In the center, the resulting negative SubTool. On the right, the model with Live Boolean
activated.
This is where Snapshot3D shows its true power. By combining the generated mesh-
es via the Live Boolean system ZBrush will preview the result in real time. With just a few
clicks, Snapshot3D can create complex primitives which can then be combined to create
complex models in very little time.
Note:
Please refer to the Live Boolean documentation to learn more about Boolean operations in
ZBrush.
When a 3D model is created, its depth (or length) is based on the size of the current-
ly selected SubTool. Its orientation is based on the current screen working plane. This
means that it’s important to consider both the currently active SubTool and your camera
position before using Snapshot3D to create a new model. Of course, the shape can
always be modified later through the 3D Gizmo, TransPose and other ZBrush features.
II Snapshot3D Process
To generate a mesh with Snapshot3D, you need to work with alphas -- the grayscale
images used in brushes -- by loading them into SpotLight. Any alpha image will work, but
Snapshot3D will only take pure white pixels into account when generating the 3D model.
All gray and black pixels will be ignored.
To load an alpha into SpotLight and create a basic 3D model from it, follow these
steps:
1. You must be in Edit mode with a PolyMesh 3D loaded. You can simply load a
sample Project like one of the DynaMesh demo spheres or select the PolyMe-
sh3D tool (star) from the Tool palette. Even though Live Boolean is optional, it is
recommended to have it activated as well. It is also strongly advised to disable
camera Perspective in the Draw palette.
45
2. Select your alpha in the Alpha palette or import one. For this example you can
try with Alpha 10 (star).
3. Click Alpha >> Add to SpotLight.
The Add to SpotLight icon.
4. The alpha is now loaded in SpotLight which has switched to its own Edit mode.
The star is selected with the SpotLight widget. Notice the soft black outline around the alpha. This
is because the alpha is in low resolution. The same alpha with a 512x512 resolution would have
produced a crisp outline.
5. Perform any SpotLight operations such as position, scale, etc.

6. Generate the 3D model by clicking SnapShot Tool.
46
The Snapshot Tool icon at the bottom of the SpotLight widget. Notice that the alpha must be se-
lected prior pressing the Snapshot3D button. On the right, the resulting model. Its length is defined
by the size of the SubTool which was active when the Snapshot3D button was pressed.
7. Repeat the previous steps to load more alphas and generate additional Sub-
Tools.
8. Quit SpotLight Edit mode by pressing the Z Key, or quit SpotLight by pressing
Shift+Z.
You can of course perform a lot of different actions in SpotLight. We advise you to
read the In Action sections below and watch the dedicated videos in the ZClassroom or
on our YouTube channel.
III Snapshot3D Alphas and Image Resolution
We recommend building a library of alphas that you can use in Snapshot3D. Even a
series of simple shapes will be able to produce complex model when combined.
To create these alphas you can use ZBrush or a regular image editor like Photoshop.
Alphas must be in grayscale format. When importing RGB images into ZBrush through
the Alpha palette, they will be converted on the fly to grayscale images. However, we
recommend using a dedicated image editor for this purpose in order to give better control
over the conversion.
For use with Snapshot3D, alphas must be no more than 512x512 resolution. If you
load a larger image such as 1K or 2K, Snapshot3D will internally resize them to be at the
maximum of 512x512 pixels.
47
Note:
When loading alphas that are too large into SpotLight ZBrush will simply divide the size by
2 until it is under a value of 512. This means that if your loaded image is 600x600 pixels it will
become 300x300 after being resized. For this reason, we recommend directly creating your alphas
at 512x512 pixels for a optimal resolution.
The scale of the alpha (based on the scene scale) will have an impact on the resolu-
tion of the model and therefore, its polygon count. A small scale for an alpha, will produce
a low resolution mesh while a large scale will produce a high resolution mesh.
In the example below, the same alpha was used for both models except that the
left one has a small scale and fits within the SpotLight gizmo. It generates a model
with approximately 27,000 polygons. The one on the right, way bigger, will generate ap-
proximately 145,000 polygons. Keep your alpha at a small scale if you want to keep a
low polygon count. Bear in mind that this will not prevent you from scaling the resulting
SubTool at a later stage.
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IV Snapshot3D in Action: a Simple Shape
Follow these steps to quickly create a basic shape which could have taken much
longer to produce by other methods:
1. Load the DynaMesh_Sphere_128 project from LightBox (also found in the
ZProjects folder in your ZBrush directory).
2. Turn Perspective off and stay in Front view. You can use the Shift key while
rotating to perfectly snap to the front view.
3. Turn on Live Boolean mode.

4. Click on the current SubTool’s eyeball icon to turn its visibility off. We need only
this model to start a new scene and won’t be using it as part of the mesh gen-
eration. Note that because it is the currently selected SubTool it will stay visible
until a new SubTool is created.
5. For this project, we will use a SpotLight preset. Open LightBox and go in the
SpotLight tab. Double click the 512_hardSurface_SpotLight file. A series of
alphas will load on the left side of your screen.
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The loaded Alphas
6. Enable SpotLight by pressing the Z key on your keyboard or by clicking the

Transform >> Edit SpotLight button.
7. Select the alpha shown in the illustration, clicking and dragging it somewhere on
your document. It becomes the active image in SpotLight.
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8. Now click the Snapshot icon in the SpotLight wheel. It’s the camera icon located
at the bottom of the wheel. A new SubTool is created and the original sphere
should disappear since its visibility was been turned off in step 4.
9. If you want to inspect your new 3D model, you can turn off SpotLight Edit Mode
by again pressing the Z key and then rotating to fully see what ZBrush created.
You will notice that the depth of the new model is exactly the same as that of the
original sphere SubTool.
10. Now go back to your previous point of view (remember that you can use Shift to
snap the angle) and reenable SpotLight Edit Mode by pressing the Z key.
11. Select another alpha and position it on top of the previously generated model.
You can remove the previous alpha if needed. You may need to scale it in Spot-
Light to approximately fit what is presented in the screenshot below.
51
12. Now hold the Alt key while pressing the Snapshot3D icon in SpotLight. A new
SubTool will be created like before, but this time as a negative mesh. This is
why your model has been cut on the side and why the newly created SubTool
is not visible.
13. If you look at the SubTool list you should see three SubTools: the original sphere,
the positive mesh based on the circular alpha and finally, the negative model
composed of two parts.
14. You can quit the SpotLight Edit Mode by again pressing Z so that you can more
easily look at your model. You can use the Gizmo 3D to scale it along one axis
to make it thinner. Don’t forget that you will need to scale the two SubTools as
you are currently in Live Boolean mode.
52
V Snapshot3D in Action: Creating a Complex Alpha
In this step by step we will see how we can combine and mix several alphas to create
a complex shape in one click.
1. You can start from the previous step-by step or redoing through step 6.
2. Select this first alpha:
3. Then select this second alpha and put it under the bottom center of the first
alpha. Notice that you have snap points when manipulating your alphas. It is im-
portant that your second alpha does not extend beyond the first alpha’s bound-
ing box.
53
4. After rescaling and repositioning it, Alt+click the Union icon. The second alpha
is subtracted from the first. You can see the result by moving the second alpha
to another location.
5. Pick a new alpha from the list, putting it in the location shown in the screenshot
below.
6. Click Union. The alpha will be added to the result of the previous combination.
54
7. Now you can press the SnapShot icon to generate the 3D model.
By combining these functions to create complex alphas and then merging the re-
sulting SubTools through the Live Boolean feature, you will develop a very quick and
instinctive way to generate models which would have taken a lot of time to create with
other methods.
VI Painting and Deforming Alphas
Even if most functions used with Snapshot3D will be Snapshot and Union, keep in
mind that most of the SpotLight 1.0 functions can be used on alphas.
As an example, you can use the Paint function with a Brush in RGB mode to paint
white on an alpha to refine or change it. Also, you can hold the Alt key while painting to
partially or even fully erase your alpha before painting on it further.
Obviously, functions like Restore, Clone, etc. will work perfectly with your alphas.
55
VII SpotLight v2.0 Snap Points
When manipulating the SpotLight Gizmo you will notice tiny dots not only on the
alpha or texture but also on the selected SubTool. These dots will only appear when your
SpotLight Gizmo gets close to them at which point it will snap to them. Only the center of
the SpotLight gizmo will snap to these dots; not the manipulated image.
The SpotLight gizmo will snap on:
• The selected texture or alpha center, corner and mid edges of the bounding box.
• The center, middle edge or corner of the SubTool bounding box.
The SpotLight snap points. On left is the SubTool bounding box, and on the right is the alpha (or
image) bounding box.
56
VIII SAVING SPOTLIGHT ALPHAS PRESETS
Because SpotLight has become a full creation tool, it is recommended to build your
own library of alphas that you will be able to use and reuse in your various projects.
To build a library, load into SpotLight all the alphas that you wish to include in the
new library -- preferably all of the same style or category. For example, “bots and screw
heads,” “primitive shapes” or “logos.”
Next, organize them on screen in your preferred order. (Or use one of the order-
ing functions in SpotLight, like Tile Selected.) Don’t forget that if no alpha (or texture) is
selected while in SpotLight’s Edit mode you will move, scale and/or rotate all the images.
Select the Alpha that you wish to use a thumbnail for your library, then click Texture
>> Save SpotLight. When asked for a save location we recommend that you use the
ZSpotLight folder within your ZBrush installation directory. That way, it will be able to be
shown in the LightBox file browser.
Now if you open LightBox and go to the SpotLight tab you should see your preset,
ready to be loaded. Keep in mind that loading a new preset will replace all images cur-
rently in SpotLight.
An example of 5 different presets in the SpotLight tab of LightBox. Each preset is composed of
multiple alphas.
57
IX SpotLight v2.0 and Snapshot3D Functions
The functions listed below are part of SpotLight. You must enable SpotLight to ac-
cess them by adding an alpha through Alpha >> Add to SpotLight or Texture >> Add to
SpotLight.
Snapshot
The Snapshot function converts the selected alpha to a 3D model, either as a new
SubTool or as an addition to an existing SubTool depending on the modifier key pressed
while using this function.
Using SnapShot with:
• Alt pressed: The resulting SubTool will be set in Subtractive mode. If Live Bool-
ean is active, the 3D model will not be visible and will be subtracted from exist-
ing SubTools.
• Alt+Shift pressed: The resulting SubTool will be set in Intersection mode. If Live
Boolean is active, only the intersecting part of the 3D model will be visible.
• Shift pressed: The generated mesh will be added to the current SubTool rather
than creating a new one.
Union
The Union function performs Boolean-type operations between alphas loaded in
SpotLight, allowing you to use simple shapes to create more complex ones.
The Union mode works by adding an alpha to or subtracting it from another one
located below the active one. The alpha bounding box helps you visualize the relative
positions of the alphas loaded in SpotLight.
The default action is to simply combine Alphas. Modifiers allow you to change the
results:
Using Union with:
• Alt pressed: The current alpha will be subtracted from the existing alpha located
under the selected one. This alpha must intersect with another alpha for the
subtraction to be performed.
• Alt+Shift pressed: The current alpha will do an intersection with the existing
alpha located under the selected one.
Even though it was designed to work with alphas, Union can also be used with tex-
tures.
58
Quick Select
When enabled, Quick Select mode replaces the selected alpha or texture with the
next one clicked on.
The clicked image will replace the previous one, using the same location, scale and
orientation.
Frame
By clicking and dragging on the Frame icon, this function will create an outline based
on the boundaries of the alpha or image. When an image is selected, only its white pixels
will be considered by the function. Other colors will disappear.
Note:
The Frame can’t be extended beyond the bounding box of the alpha.
Using Frame with:
• Shift key pressed: The frame action changes to an Expand function, making the
alpha grow outward.
• Alt key pressed: The frame action changes to a Shrink function, making the
alpha pull inward.
Flip and Mirror

The Flip and Mirror functions perform a horizontal or vertical flip of the selected alpha
or texture.
Modifiers change this:
• Shift key pressed: the mirror will be performed from left to right or top to bottom,
depending on whether you use the horizontal or vertical action.
• Alt key pressed: the mirror will be performed from right to left or bottom to top
depending on whether you use the horizontal or vertical action.
The center of the mirror is set by the center location of the SpotLight gizmo.
Extend
The Extend function makes your alpha or texture grow or shrink along the horizontal
or vertical axis. It does this by duplicating the pixels located at the center of the SpotLight
gizmo.
The extension or shrinkage position is represented by the two red and green axes
at the center of SpotLight Gizmo. It is important to click and drag to carefully position the
gizmo before doing the action.
59
Using Extend with the Shift key pressed will perform the action from the center of the
texture or alpha regardless of where the SpotLight gizmo is located.
Tile
The Tile function will duplicate the alpha or texture along the selected axis, within
the selected image’s bounding box. The more you increase the Tile value, the more your
image will shrink in order to allow it to be duplicated along the tile axis.
Using Tile with the Shift key pressed will cause the function to operate on both the
vertical and horizontal axis simultaneously, preserving the proportions.
Background Opacity
When working with one image over another, adjusting the Background Opacity will
adjust the opacity of the back image, so that you can set the opacity to suit your working
method.
60
ZBrush 2019 - ZRemesher 3
ZREMESHER V3
Hard Surface automatic retopology taken to the next level
61
ZRemesher has been updated in ZBrush 2019 to have better support for hard sur-
faces models, with a focus on re-topologizing meshes resulting from Live Boolean opera-
tions or imported from CAD 3D packages.
ZRemesher is now able to better detect hard surface edges, producing fewer poly-
gons and with better accuracy.
In addition to the use of PolyGroups to drive retopology, it is now possible to use

Creased edges which will be preserved in the resulting topology.
Because ZRemesher has been massively rewritten, the resulting topology may be
different from V2. For this reason you can still access the original algorithm and choose
which result better fits your needs.
Some examples of hard surface retopology created by ZRemesher v3. Models by Daniele Ange-
lozzi and Ralf Stumpf.
62
I Legacy Mode
Automatically producing topology which will best your needs is more and more a
reality, thanks to ZRemesher. The new algorithm is able to produce better results on hard
surface models. However, for some organic models the previous algorithm may provide
better results. A Legacy mode is available for this reason. When selected, ZBrush will use
the ZRemesher v2.1 algorithm.
Using Legacy mode can be beneficial with organic models where the edge flow may
be different and in some cases, more interesting. Only your eyes can tell you which topol-
ogy will better suit your needs!
II Hard Surfaces with ZRemesher V3
The major change in ZRemesher V3 is improvement in hard surface retopology.

ZRemesher is able to produce optimum topology for hard surface models – especially
those coming from Boolean operations, whether created in ZBrush or imported from CAD
software.
To produce the best results, enable the Detect Edge function. This will look for
topologies which create a hard angle such as the border of a cut piece, then use that
information for creating the new topology. This function is really designed for hard surface
models. If your input mesh is a DynaMesh with a topology that lacks clean angles, the
Detect Edge function will produce less accurate topology results.
If your mesh has crease edges, a new ZRemesher option allows these edges to both
drive the flow of polygons and serve as border edges.
In addition to these functions, keeping the PolyGroups can be even more helpful and
generate a better retopology.
An example of a simple Boolean operation which produces complex topology. ZRemesher is able
to create clean topology with dedicated PolyGroups in one click. Model by Ralf Stumpf.
63
Keep in mind that hard surfaces models have a lot of variation in the direction of their
topology. For example, there are sometimes long and thin surfaces connected by tiny
extrusions. The more information you can provide to ZRemesher through creased edges,
PolyGroups and edge detection, the better your results will be.
Target polygon count and Adaptive mode will also have an impact on the results. If
you set a higher polygon count you will give more freedom for the algorithm to navigate
the quick changes in geometry that are specific to hard surface models.
An example of an imported CAD model, retopologized by ZRemesher. The new topology is now
perfect for using with ZBrush creation tools or even adding subdivision levels. Model by Cki Vang.
64
III ZRemesher V3 Functions
The following functions have been added to the existing ZRemesher functions lo-
cated in the Tool >> Geometry >> ZRemesher sub-palette.
The ZRemesher v3 Sub-Palette
Legacy (2018)
When enabled, this mode uses the ZRemesher 2 algorithm found in ZBrush 2018.
Its functionality is the same as in the previous version and so it won’t be able to use the
Keep Creases and Detect Edges functions explained below.
Keep Creases
The Keep Creases function will use the existing edge creases applied on your model
to drive topology creation. These will help ZRemesher have a better understanding of
your model’s structure, benefitting hard surface designs.
The resulting topology will keep these crease edges.
Detect Edge
When enabled, the Detect Edge mode will try to identify a model’s hard surface
edges. It is advised to use this mode when you are working with CAD type models or the
result from Live Boolean operations.
65
ZBrush 2019 - SubTool Folders
SUBTOOLS FOLDERS
Organize your models, putting their parts where it makes sense to YOU
66
SubTool Folders are a great and easy way to organize your model parts by grouping
SubTools within folders. You can then do things like moving a folder within the SubTool
list, automatically moving all SubTools that have been placed within that folder. You can
also choose to perform specific operations like generating a Live Boolean operation on
the contents of only one folder.
The system is easy to use. After creating a folder, drag and drop SubTools to move
them into it – even from another folder. Once a folder contains SubTools you can then
perform a global action on all contents within that folder.
The SubTool list including 3 folders, with one closed.
Important information about SubTools and SubTool folders:
You cannot have more than 1000 SubTools in any project. There is also a maximum
of 100 SubTools allowed within a folder.
67
I Create SubTool Folders
The creation of SubTools folder can be done in multiple ways, depending on your
workflow. You only need to keep in mind that a folder cannot be empty; it always needs
to have a minimum of one SubTool.
Folders can’t be nested within other folders. This means that all new folders will be
created at the highest level within the SubTools list.
Note:
Deleting the last SubTool within a folder will automatically delete the (now empty) folder.
1. Creating a Folder
By clicking the Tool >> SubTool >> New Folder function you will create a new Folder
containing the currently selected SubTool.
Upon clicking on the function ZBrush will immediately ask you for a Folder name.
Enter the name of your choice, then press the Enter key.
Note:
When creating a SubTool Folder, we always advise using alphanumerical characters for the
name. Despite all UTF-8 characters being supported elsewhere within the ZBrush UI, please only
use letters A-Z or numbers 1-9. Avoid spaces, unusual characters or non-English characters for
folder names.
2. Creating a Folder Based on a Multi-SubTool Selection
If you use the Gizmo 3D “TransPose All Selected SubTools” function, clicking the
Tool >> SubTool >> New Folder button will create a new folder that contains all selected
SubTools. ZBrush will tell you that you have a multi-selection and will ask you for confir-
mation before asking for a Folder name.
Enter the name of your choice (see the note above), then press the Enter key.
The Multi SubTool warning message.
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II SubTool Folder Information
Whether closed or open, a folder can display some information and provide access
to specific actions:
• Open or Closed: When open (the default state) you are able to see all Sub-
Tools within the folder. When closed, you will only see the folder itself.
• Pen icon: When a folder displays a pen icon this indicates that it contains the
current active SubTool. This pen icon is visible regardless of whether the folder
is open or closed.
• Eye icon: Exactly as with individual SubTools but affecting the visibility of all
SubTools within the folder. However, it will not affect the visibility of SubTools
that have been individually flagged. This means that if a SubTool is set to
hidden it will remain hidden even if the SubTool folder’s visibility icon is set to
visible.
• SubTool numbers: The number displayed next to the Folder icon indicates
how many SubTools are included in the folder.
• Gear Icon: Click to access the actions that can be performed on the SubTools
within the folder. Please refer to the sections below.
The different icons in the SubTool Folder.
III SubTool Folders and Content Manipulation
As with SubTools it is possible to manipulate folders within the SubTools list to

change their location and organization according to your needs.
To move a folder up or down within the list, simply click and drag the Folder icon,
dropping it at the location of your choice. A cyan-colored indicator will preview the loca-
tion of the folder upon releasing the drag and drop action.
69
Drag and Drop in action. Notice the cyan separator and its arrow.
Note
The angled SubTool arrows below the list are only for moving individual SubTools or closed
SubTool Folders. If a SubTool folder is open, then only the selected SubTool will be moved up/
down.
Use the same drag and drop action on SubTools to add then to a folder or remove
them.
IV SubTool Folders and Regular SubTool Actions
It is important to note that some actions can be applied to a Folder or to an individual

SubTool.
The buttons underneath the SubTools list apply to individual SubTools rather than to
folder. For example, if you want to individually rename, delete or duplicate a SubTool you
need to do it through the usual SubTool functions found below the SubTools list.
However, if you want to perform an action on a whole Folder, you need to click its
gear icon to access the SubTool Folder Actions explained below.
The only exception is the Tool >> SubTool >> Auto Reorder function, which will oper-
ate on all SubTools in all folders.
70
V SubTool Folder Actions
In addition to SubTool management and organization, there are actions which can
be applied to an entire folder.
These actions can be just for manipulation, such as with the Transpose actions,
which will transfer a list of the folder’s SubTools to the Gizmo 3D’s “TransPose All Se-
lected SubTools” feature, preparing it for the desired action. There are also folder man-
agement functions to rename, duplicate or delete a folder and its SubTools.
In addition, some actions will let you create new SubTools based on the contents of
the folder. One example is the Merge Folder action, which will merge the separate Sub-
Tools within the folder into a single, new SubTool. Another example is Boolean Folder,
which will perform a Live Boolean operation on all SubTools within the folder, and only
that folder.
Please refer to the SubTool Folder Functions section below for explanations of all
Folder Actions.
The SubTool Folder Action popup, displayed after clicking the Gear icon.
71
VI SubTool Folder Functions
The first three functions below have to do with creating folders or the information
displayed on a folder. The remaining functions are specific to the SubTool Folder Actions
menu. They refer to the specific actions found when clicking on any folder’s Gear icon.
New Folder
The New Folder function will create a new folder and add the selected SubTool to
this newly created folder. ZBrush will automatically prompt for a folder name.
If multiple SubTools are selected through the TransPose All Selected Function found
in the Gizmo 3D, they will all be added to the newly created folder.
Note:
Creating a new folder is not an undoable action. However, you can immediately remove the
folder by using its Delete Folder Action (see below).
SubTool Folder Visibility

SubTool Folder visibility operates in a way that is very similar to that of individual
SubTools. However, it allows you to hide or show all SubTools located within the folder.
This action is global to the folder and can be overridden by using the visibility icons
on the individual SubTools within the folder. Toggling the visibility state of the folder will
not change that of any SubTools for which you have specifically set the visibility. This
means that if you have several SubTools set to hidden within a folder and others to vis-
ible, hiding the folder would hide its contents but reverting it back to visible will show
only the SubTools that had been visible before. The Folder visibility status won’t affect
individual status.
Visible Count
The Visible Count slider allows you to increase the visible number of SubTools in the
SubTools list, from 1 to 24.
Changing this value won’t impact the number of total SubTools allowed in ZBrush
(1024 SubTools). It only changes how many SubTools (or folders) can be seen at one
time within the sub-palette. This is useful for people with low or high resolution displays
who would like to be able to see fewer or more SubTools at one time without having to
scroll through the list.
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Folder Action: TransPose Set

The TransPose Set function works in association with the TransPose All Selected
SubTools function of the Gizmo 3D.
It enables the Gizmo 3D with an already active multi-selection containing just the
SubTools within the active folder. You can then move, scale and rotate the selected Sub-
Tools all at once.
Please refer to the Gizmo 3D documentation for more information about the Trans-
Pose All Selected SubTools function.
Folder Action: TransPose Add and Sub

The TransPose Add and Sub functions modify the Gizmo 3D’s existing multi-se-
lection. For example, if you already have some SubTools selected and use a folder’s
TransPose Add function its contained SubTools will be added to the current selection.
Similarly, TransPose Sub would remove the folder’s SubTools from the current multi-
selection if any of them are included.
If no SubTools are currently selected, the results of TransPose Add will be the same
as for TransPose Set.
Folder Action: Duplicate

The Duplicate function creates a copy of the active folder and its SubTools.
If you only want to duplicate a single SubTool within a folder, use the Tool >> SubTool
>> Duplicate function instead.
Note:
This function is not undoable.
Folder Action: Merge Up

The Merge Up function merges the current folder with the next folder above it in the
SubTools list, creating a unique folder containing the SubTools previously found in both
folders.
Note:
73
Folder Action: Hide/Show PolyPaint

The Hide and Show PolyPaint functions are similar to the PolyPaint eye icon located
individual SubTools. However, it affects the display of PolyPaint for all SubTools within
the folder.
As with SubTool Folder Visibility, this is a globally action for the SubTools within the
folder and will not change the individual settings that have been given to each of its Sub-
Tools. This means that if you have a folder containing SubTools with PolyPaint turned off
for some and on for others, turning it off at the folder level will hide the PolyPaint for all
included SubTools but when you turn it back on again the originally turned off SubTools
will remain turned off.
Note:
Folder Action: Boolean Folder

The Boolean folder function performs a Boolean operation on all SubTools within the
folder. It works in the same way as the regular Boolean operation (using the usual opera-
tors and Start Groups), except that any SubTools not within the folder will be ignored.
The first SubTool of the folder is always considered as a positive SubTool and as a
Start group regardless of its SubTool operator mode.
The resulting SubTool will be placed below the folder in the SubTools list and the
Folder’s contents will be set to Hidden. You can unhide its content by using the eye icon
next to the folder icon.
Note:
If you perform a Boolean operation of the entire SubTool list, ZBrush will ignore the folders
and consider each SubTool state individually. This means that if you want to have the contents of
each folder being a different SubTool within the resulting model you must add a Start Group flag
for the first/top SubTool shown within each folder.
Please refer to the Live Boolean documentation for more information about the Bool-
ean operation process in ZBrush.
Folder Action: Boolean DSubDiv

The Boolean DSubDiv action is similar to the Boolean Folder action except that it
will turn on Dynamic Subdivision for all SubTools being processed within the folder (and
only during processing). It takes effect even if the mode is disabled for other SubTools
or globally.
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Folder Action: Merge Folder

The Merge Folder function generates a new SubTool that is the combination of all
SubTools within the folder. The new SubTool will be placed beneath the folder in the
SubTools list.
SubTool visibility is ignored with this operation. All SubTools within the folder will be
merged regardless of whether they have been set to visible or not.
Note:
Folder Action: Rename Folder

The Rename Folder functions lets you change the name of the current folder.
Note:
Please keep in mind the folder naming conventions discussed earlier in this documenta-
tion. Even though ZBrush is a full Unicode application, we always advise the use of alphanumeric
names with no special characters. In other words, A to Z and 0 to 9 with no spaces or non-stan-
dard English characters.
Folder Action: Delete Folder

The Delete Folder functions deletes the folder but not its contents. Any SubTools
within the folder will be moved to the SubTool list.
Note:
Folder Action: Delete All

The Delete All function deletes both the folder AND its included SubTools.
This function can’t be undone. Please be careful when using it.
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ZBrush 2019 - Camera
UNIVERSAL CAMERA
An accurate camera which can be imported from or exported to other 3D applications.
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In ZBrush 2019 a new universal 3D camera is introduced to ZBrush which can re-
place the original 3D camera and is enabled by default. This camera works with standard
lens settings, such as focal distances in mm or fields of view in degrees.
You will now can fit exact camera settings which can be useful if you are working
in industries which require you to match an existing movie scene or background photo.
You will also be able to import and export cameras for pixel-to-pixel matching be-
tween applications. An example of when such functions would be convenient is when
retouching a model based on an exact point of view or for compositing purposes: Create
your model in ZBrush, use its BPR rendering engine to create several passes, then con-
nect to KeyShot through the ZBrush to KeyShot Bridge to render extra passes before do-
ing the final composite in Adobe Photoshop. All applications which support import/export
of cameras through the FBX file format can support this workflow.
As stated above, this new camera is enabled by default. You can also choose at any
time to work with the legacy ZBrush camera. This can be important if you load projects
created with a previous version of ZBrush.
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I Enabling / Disabling the Universal Camera
The Universal Camera is enabled by default and its settings can be found in the
Draw Palette. As you will notice, the camera has a switch icon: If you disable it, you will
revert to the ZBrush “2D” Legacy Camera.
As soon as you disable it, the Legacy Camera settings will take over and the Univer-
sal Camera settings will be grayed out.
For 3D creation we advise working with the Universal Camera. However, keep in
mind that this camera will not function when working in 2.5D/Pixol mode. If you exit Edit
Mode, the Universal Camera will automatically be disabled.
On the left, the camera settings of the Universal camera. On the right, it has been disabled and the
legacy settings are now available.
II Auto Crop mode
In reality, Universal Camera mode works in two ways:
1. When located outside the model’s camera boundary (a spherical perimeter), the
Universal Camera functions as a true camera.
2. When the camera gets too close to the model it will trigger a 2D Zoom factor
to simulate a true Zoom 3D. This step is very similar to the camera crop factor
found in multiple DSLR cameras.
This switch between modes is done to avoid camera deformation and unexpected
navigation issues.
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Because of this Zoom process, when the camera is brought too close to the model
and requires zooming in “2D”, the camera will no longer update perspective to match a
physical camera.
To help you know when ZBrush switches from a physical camera to a virtual camera
with this zoom operation, you will see a change in the “AC” indicator at the top of the
screen. This “AC” stands for “Auto Crop”:
• Grey: the camera is in true perspective

• White: the camera is using true perspective with a 2D zoom applied -- the Auto
Crop state.
The AC Mode indicator, on and off.
There are several factors that contribute to the bounding perimeter at which AC
mode can kick in. These include camera settings and your model’s volume in the 3D
space. Because the model bounding perimeter used by the camera is spherical, a wide-
yet-flat model will have a large spherical bounding perimeter, more quickly triggering
this AC mode. Also, a wide angle camera (18 or 24 mm camera) will display more of the
model on the screen, making you feel as if you are far from the model even if you are, in
fact, close to it.
Note:
Hiding polygons won’t affect the diameter of the bounding perimeter for camera computation.
III Importing/Exporting Camera - KeyShot Bridge
There are two ways in which the ZBrush camera can be exported to or imported from
other applications:
• Through the ZBrush to KeyShot bridge. (Export only.)

• Through the FBX Export-Import plugin, located in the ZPlugins palette.
When exporting or importing the camera, the following settings will be transferred:
• Position
• Orientation
• Focal Length
If you were to set your document to a specific size in ZBrush and the same in Key-
Shot or another 3D application, renders from either application will match perfectly, letting
79
you do advanced composition.
Notes:
For KeyShot to match the ZBrush document size make sure that KeyShot is not in full screen
mode. If KeyShot is in full screen mode, the KeyShot viewport will skew to match the current vis-
ible KeyShot UI.
If the ZBrush camera has Auto Crop enabled when exporting your model with the camera to
another application, the focal distance will be converted to take the associated crop factor into ac-
count. Please refer to the Camera documentation for more information about Auto Crop mode.
IV Working with Multiple Cameras
ZBrush can store several cameras, letting you switch between them at will. It’s a
convenient way to save specific points of view (such as for renders), switching between
them at any time.
In the Draw palette you will find the Store Camera function. This will save the cur-
rent camera and its settings as part of the ZBrush Project. You will be prompted to enter
a name for the camera, allowing you to easily choose between multiple saved cameras.
Clicking the Select Camera button will open a pop-up that lists all available cameras,
using the names that you gave to them. Click on the name of your choice to recall that
camera position and settings.
You can also use the left and right arrows to quickly navigate between each stored
camera.
If you need to remove a camera, first select it and then click the Delete button.
V Locking the Camera
When working near the edge of a 3D model it can easily happen that you acciden-
tally begin your brush stroke slightly outside of the mesh, resulting in rotation of the model
rather than a brush stroke. To prevent this from happening you can lock the camera by
pressing the Lock Camera icon, located both in the Draw palette and also in shelf imme-
diately to the right of the canvas in the default user interface (below the Local Symmetry
icon).
When you want to unlock the camera, simply click the icon again. Remember that
you can also assign a hotkey to this feature if you find yourself using it often.
80
The Lock Camera icon in the right shelf.
VI Camera Settings and Functions
The camera settings in ZBrush are very similar to real camera lens settings. If you
are used to photography (especially digital photography) you will be able to master them
in no time.
Camera Mode
When enabled (by default), ZBrush uses a perspective camera based on optical set-
tings. When disabled, ZBrush uses its legacy camera.
Horizontal / Vertical
The Horizontal or Vertical modes define how the computing of the camera is done,
using the horizontal or vertical size of the camera sensor/film. Change this mode only if
you need to match the settings of other software using horizontal or vertical computation.
Focal Length
The Focal Length slider lets you define the focal distance of your virtual lens in mm.
81
Focal Length Presets (18, 24, 28, 35, 50 and 85mm)

Located just above the Focal Length slider, these presets let you quickly set a value
for the most popular lenses. Clicking one of these buttons will override the Focal Length
slider settings.
Field of View
The Field of View slider lets you define the value of the camera in degrees. This is
an alternative way of computing the camera perspective value.
Crop Factor
The Crop Factor simulates the cropping applied when using a camera with a smaller
or larger value than a 24x36mm sensor.
As an example, if you want to create a model which will fit a background image
taken with a Canon xxxD (350D, 500D, 600D, 700D, etc.), you would need to apply a 1.6
crop factor to your lens value. Those cameras use a smaller sensor and so, to have the
equivalent of a full frame sensor, you need to multiply its value by 1.6.
This factor will also apply to the Focal Length. If you took a photo with that Canon
camera and a 50mm lens it would in fact be equivalent to an 80mm lens (50x1.6).
Undo / Redo
Camera transformations such as position and settings are stored in a separate undo
stack. By pressing the Undo and Redo buttons, you will be able to go back to your previ-
ous point of view or camera settings.
The number of Camera undos/redos is limited to 14.
Note:
No hotkeys are assigned to the Camera Undo and Redo buttons, but you can assign them
like with any other ZBrush function.
Lock Camera
This function will lock the camera in place. While Lock Camera is active, it is impos-
sible to zoom, pan or rotate.
82
Select Camera
This pop-up lets you select a camera which was previously saved with the Store
Camera function.
Store Camera
The Store Camera function will save the current camera position, orientation and
settings using a name of your choice. Multiple cameras can be saved.
Rename
The Rename function will let you change the name of the currently selected camera.
Delete
The Delete function will delete the currently selected camera. This operation cannot
be undone.
Next / Previous Camera (Left / Right Arrows)

The Next and Previous arrow icons let you rotate through all stored cameras.
AC Indicator
This indicator, visible next to the Quick Save button at the top of the ZBrush UI dis-
plays the status of the Auto Crop mode.
When grayed out, ZBrush is using the Perspective camera. When not grayed out,
ZBrush is using a crop factor (similar to a zoom 2D) when zooming into your model.
Please refer to the Auto Crop Mode section above.
83
ZBrush 2019 - Other additions
OTHER ADDITIONS
84
Find in this section all the various other additions and changes made in ZBrush
2019.
Document Split Mode
ZBrush introduces a document split mode which, creates a side-by-side view that
isolates the current SubTool on one side and all remaining visible SubTools on the other.
This mode can be activated by changing the Split Screen slider located in the Transform
palette.
This function is somewhat similar to Solo mode but its primary purpose is making it
possible for you to load a SubTool such as an anatomy scan as a separate SubTool to
act as a reference while sculpting on your mesh. The reference side will rotate in unison
with your sculpting view.
Note:
It is not possible to have a different camera point of view when in the Split mode view.
Screensaver
A Screensaver has been added which -- after a predefined amount of time -- will
display curated images straight from the ZBrushCentral.com community. Unlike your
operating system screensaver, this will only appear in the ZBrush application window.
Clicking the displayed image within the ZBrush window will close the screensaver
and return you to the ZBrush UI.
In the Preferences >> Screensaver sub-palette you can change the amount of time
before the screensaver starts. This preference will be saved in the ZBrush configuration
file and in your custom user interface.
Smooth Brush: New Tangent Mode

A ninth setting has been introduced for the Brush >> Smooth Brush Modifiers >>
Weighted Smooth Brush slider. When the value is set to 9 this enables the new Groups
Intersection mode.
This mode will affect PolyGroups which are close to each other, when their borders
are parallel with multiple edge loops and will prevent these PolyGroup borders from
shrinking.
85
FBX Export/Import Plugin: Multiple Cameras

The FBX Export/Import plugin now supports up to 64 cameras.
Imported cameras are listed in the Camera selection list within the Draw palette.
FBX will now support up to FBX 2019.
GoZ
GoZ has been updated to support Adobe Photoshop® 2019, Autodesk Maya 2019
and Autodesk 3DS Max 2020.
Tool >> SubTool >> Visible Count

This slider will increase or decrease the number of SubTools visible in the SubTool
list. This is merely a display setting rather than a limit on how many SubTools your model
can have. It is useful for higher or lower resolution monitors.
The value ranges from 1 to a maximum of 24.
Tool >> Deformation >> Repeat to Folder

The Repeat to Folder action will repeat the most recently used Deformation, apply-
ing it to all SubTools in the current folder.
Render >> BPR RenderPass >> Composite

When doing a BPR, enabling the Composite pass switch instructs ZBrush to save
the current BPR render and its associated BPR filters. Before ZBrush 2019 this option
only saved the basic shaded render, without BPR filters.
Preferences >> Interface >> UI >> Show SubTools Folders

This preference (enabled by default) toggles use of the SubTool Folders feature.
When disabled, ZBrush reverts the SubTool listing to the linear mode from earlier ver-
sions.
This function can be useful for creating ZScripts or Plugins.
Preferences >> Import Export >> Export Auto Cropping as Focal.

If the camera is too close to the object and Auto Crop (AC) mode is enabled, the 2D
zoom factor will be exported as a camera sensor crop value.
86
Preferences >> Utilities >> CTRL/ALT/Shift

Clicking these buttons is like pressing the corresponding keys on your keyboard.
They have been added for if you want to apply a specific hotkey while controlling ZBrush
through a special device like a Joypad.
Preferences >> IColors >> Drag and Drop

This color is displayed when dragging and dropping a SubTool or SubTool folder.
87
ZBrush 2019 - Thank you!
THANK YOU!
Yes, to you!
88
Thank You
Pixologic® would like to thank everyone who has participated as a beta tester for
ZBrush® since its beginning. We also thank all the ZBrush users who are making such
wonderful artwork, inspiring us to push our limits and offer you new, innovative, artistic
and production tools!
Happy ZBrushing, and thank you again!
The Pixologic Team
89
Notes
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91

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®

ZClassRoom Portal: http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/

Artist Spotlight: http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/artistspotlight/

Pixologic Social Media: Facebook - Google+ - Twitter - Pinterest

The Pixologic Team

ZBrush Documentation Guide - version 1.00

For all documentation questions and inquiries, please contact us at documentation@pixologic.com.

About ZBrush® 2019.1

ZBrush Artist: Zhelong Xu

1. Non-Photorealistic Rendering (NPR)

2. Spotlight v2.0 with Snapshot3D

mixed with other 3D rendering solutions such as KeyShot.

ZBRUSH 2019 WHAT’S NEW GUIDE 1

INSTALLATION UPGRADING & ACTIVATION 12

NON PHOTO REALISTIC RENDERING (NPR) 21

I Realtime NPR with Cell Shading and Outline Look . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

SPOTLIGHT V2.0 WITH SNAPSHOT3D 42

I Create SubTool Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

I Enabling / Disabling the Universal Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

III Importing/Exporting Camera - KeyShot Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

• Operating System: Windows Vista or newer. Mac OS X 10.7 or newer. (32-bits

Minimum System Requirements:

• Operating System: Windows Vista or newer. Mac OS X 10.7 or newer. (32-bits

II Installation and Activation

ZBrush installation is based on an installer application, which is similar on both Win-

Special notes for Mac users:

1. Auto Update In Action

• If no update is available, the software will automatically quit.

Auto Update in action.

This process completely removes ZBrush from your computer.

It is required to have a current Support account at http://support.pixologic.

If you have not already registered on the Support site:

If you have already registered on the Support site:

You do not need to change any information.

At any time, you can go to https://support.pixologic.com to view your past tickets or

VII Backward Compatibility of ZBrush Files

NON PHOTO REALISTIC RENDERING

2D render styles for your 3D models

ZBrush artist: Vahid Ahmadi

I Realtime NPR with Cell Shading and Outline Look

To produce stylized renders, ZBrush provides flat type shadows as an alternative to

III Working with BPR Filters

IV Saving and Loading Render Settings, Including BPR Filters

ZBrush includes several sample RenderSet files, already in LightBox.

V Freezing Render Settings and BPR Filters

VI BPR Filters Management

VII NPR/BPR Filters List

Screentone: Square and Dots

Screentone: Vertical and Horizontal

The two filters with different settings.

On the right, the Vignetting filter in action.

VIII Added Modulators for BRP Filters

RGB Color Swatch

SPOTLIGHT V2.0 WITH SNAPSHOT3D

Model building with SpotLight V2.0 Alphas

This documentation is dedicated only to the additions found in SpotLight V2.0.

An example model created only by using Snapshot3D and Live Boolean.

The Add to SpotLight icon.

5. Perform any SpotLight operations such as position, scale, etc.

III Snapshot3D Alphas and Image Resolution

IV Snapshot3D in Action: a Simple Shape

3. Turn on Live Boolean mode.

The loaded Alphas

6. Enable SpotLight by pressing the Z key on your keyboard or by clicking the